525,600
by ComicKid99
Summary: The year Leopold Fitz and Jemma Simmons went from enemies to friends to more than that. Fitzsimmons.
1. Chapter 1

He was already there when she walked into the classroom. Wonderful.

Leo Fitz. Quite possibly the most aggravating, irritating and downright rude boy Jemma Simmons had ever had the misfortune to know. The nicest thing Jemma had ever said about him was one lesson the previous year in which he was "bearable, for once."

She couldn't deny he was intelligent, because he was extremely smart. Not quite at her level, but certainly the second brightest student in college. It's just a shame that his personality was incredibly off-putting; otherwise they probably could've been the best of friends.

Jemma couldn't place a time when they weren't rivals, always trying to best each other in tests and exams. They quite simply had never gotten along. They had known each other ever since secondary school when Fitz's family moved to England. Jemma had actually tried to welcome him to the area, but he was so rude to her she retaliated and they'd been feuding ever since. And now they were in their first year of college, and after five torturous years with him, Jemma finally thought she was free.

But _of course_ he'd taken exactly the same subjects as she had, and _of course_ he was in every single one of her classes. Not her friends Skye, Bobbi, Lance or Grant, not even so much as her acquaintances like Phil, Melinda or Lincoln. Him. Her nemesis (even though she thought it was childish to have a designated "nemesis", she had one nonetheless).

So, she'd probably have to put up with him for another one or two years. At least she know she'd work hard and get good grades as she would die before getting better grades than he did. Plus, after college she'd be free of him forever; that would keep her going.

However, she hadn't banked on her new biology teacher, Mrs Henderson, being quite as nice as she was, as she had a plan to make everyone more comfortable in their first few terms at college.

"I wanted to make sure you were all comfortable, so I'll be sitting you next to someone you went to school with, and you'll also work with someone you went to school with on a project you'll do outside of lessons up until Christmas." Mrs Henderson explained.

But _of course_ the only other person in her new class that went to school with her was Leo bloody Fitz.

…

Jemma thanked the heavens that their first biology lesson didn't involve group work; they simply had to read the first chapter of their textbook and make notes for a test on it the following week. The rest of the room were happily chatting about being at college and catching up on what they'd done over the holidays, but she and Fitz were sat in complete silence at the back of the room.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

Why did he _always_ have to tap his pen when he read to himself? She'd noticed it years ago and now every time since it had bothered her.

"Could you please not tap you pen? It's rather irritating." Jemma asked, turning to him.

"Sorry, Mrs Henderson." He sighed, making a fuss over putting his pen down on the desk and moving his hands away from it. She rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Fine, you're still going to be like this? Whatever." Jemma snapped, returning to her reading.

After a couple of minutes, Fitz turned to her again.

"Look, I'm not very happy about this either, you know! What were the chances that we'd both pick biology, chemistry, physics AND engineering? And what were the chances even then of the four biology classes, three chemistry classes, four physics classes and two engineering classes that we'd both end up in _exactly the same one_?"

"Evidently not low enough. Okay, we're going to be in every single class together for at least our first year here, and in this class we not only sit next to each other but we'll have to meet up and do whatever project Mrs Henderson gives us outside of classes for the next four months. We're going to have to at least try and be somewhat civil here and get the work done. The thought of spending so much time with you makes me want to stab myself in the heart with a sharp pencil right now, but we have to accept it and get this over with." Jemma explained.

"Fine, but we'll have to set some ground rules here, and know where we stand. You have so many habits that annoy me. I have a list." Fitz stated.

"A list? You wrote a list?" Jemma asked, disgusted.

"I finished the work early in class a few years back and you were doing something that annoyed me, so yeah, I wrote a list. Sue me." Fitz said.

"That would be a pointless lawsuit, but go on; I could use a laugh. Tell me what I do that's so very irritating to you." Jemma prompted.

"You have to have the last word, you tidy up _other people's desks_ when you judge them as untidy with your ridiculously high standards, you have a poor choice in friends…Skye, really? And that's about half of the list." Fitz recalled. Jemma rolled her eyes.

"You're a terrible human being, you know that?"

"You've told me many times over the years. At least 1000, I'd say. Maybe I should add that to the list." Fitz groaned.

"Well, if I wrote a list about your faults…let's be honest, it'd be a novel…number one would be you DON'T STOP TALKING." Jemma said.

"Well why don't I just leave you to your work then, if I talk so bloody much?" Fitz suggested.

"Smartest thing you've ever said."

"Fine!"

"Good!"

…

The second Jemma got home she ran up to her room, fell onto her bed and screamed into her pillow. She wasn't looking forward to the year ahead, and definitely not the next four months having to work with Fitz outside of lessons for at least an hour a week.

The task was tedious enough; decide upon any part of the body and write a joint report of 5000 words on it. Jemma herself could easily do that in a week, yet she not only had four months to do it, but had to work with Fitz too? Oh, Mrs Henderson.

She knew the hardest part would be agreeing with Fitz on anything; it'll probably take them two months just to agree on what to focus the report on.

"Hey love, how was your first day?" Jemma's mother asked as she burst into her room.

"Fitz is in every one of my classes, and not only do I sit next to him in biology but I have to work with him on a project outside of class for four whole months! We exchanged emails after the lesson and he is adamant that he has to come over here whenever we work together; I'm not allowed in his house, it seems. The cheek of the guy!" Jemma complained.

"Oh, I'm sorry honey. Look on the bright side."

"What bright side?" Jemma wondered.

"Um…he might bring over some shortbread now and again?"

…

Fitz first came round on Friday at 5pm so they could choose what to focus their project on. However, she was not going to let him take too much control, so had prepared a brief essay on why they should focus on the brain to try and convince him. He'd probably want to focus on the toenail or something just to spite her.

"No shoes on in the house." Jemma explained the second she opened the door to him.

"Hello to you too." Fitz said. Jemma immediately groaned as she pointed at the side of the hallway, where pair after pair of shoes were lined up against the wall. Fitz nodded as he took off his shoes and put then on the end of the line.

"Mum and dad are out shopping, so we have the place to ourselves." Jemma said.

"Oh, that's good because I'm actually in love with you and now we can share our passion without worrying about being caught." Fitz grinned.

"…Sorry?" Jemma asked, confused.

"…It was a joke, Simmons." Fitz sighed.

"Not a funny one." Jemma said.

"Did you leave your sense of humour with your shoes?" Fitz grinned.

"No. In fact, I wanted us to be alone so it gave me time to hide your body before they got back. THAT was a joke." Jemma smiled.

"Not a funny one." Fitz said as Jemma led him upstairs to her bedroom.

"Everything tidied up and not a speck of dirt in sight. How unsurprising." Fitz commented as he walked in and placed his bag on her bed, looking around.

"Can we just get on?" Jemma asked as she sat on her bed, picking up her folder of notes from the table beside her.

"…Okay, not one for small talk." Fitz sighed.

"Look, I never thought you'd ever be in my bedroom and I'd rather get rid of you sooner rather than later, that's all. You might stink up the place." Jemma said.

"Ouch, hit me where it hurts, Simmons. I'm deeply offended." Fitz sighed sarcastically, pulling out the contents of his bag as he sat on the bed.

"Good." Jemma faked a smile.

"You're single right?" Fitz asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"Again, unsurprising."

"Shut up. At least I haven't been single for my entire life." Jemma stated. Fitz didn't respond to that, just stayed sat in silence.

Jemma would normally worry she'd hurt his feelings but she was pretty sure he didn't have any.

"I've prepared an argument as to what I think we should focus on for the project, just so I don't have to endure talking to you for as long as we need to." Fitz said.

Jemma sighed. _Here we go._

To her surprise, Fitz took out an essay of his own and saw it was titled 'The Brain'.

"It's the logical choice. There's so much we could talk about, and with a whole four months to work on it we could go easily over 5000 words; she never said we couldn't. The gist of it is-"

Fitz's speech was interrupted by Jemma placing down her own essay, which he quickly deduced was about the brain too.

"…Oh." Fitz said, surprised.

"…I'm a little shocked myself, yes. I thought we'd be discussing this for hours." Jemma admitted.

"Me too. I don't think we've ever agreed on anything before." Fitz replied.

"Except the fact that we both agree the other is annoying." Jemma argued.

"…Apart from that, yeah."

"Okay, the brain it is. Now, we should start off by explaining how the brain connects with the other features of the body." Jemma said.

"Oh Simmons," Fitz chuckled, "you could only be more wrong if you suggested we begin the report with a rap."

Jemma just sighed and refrained from plunging her pen into the boy's curly haired head.

 _Back to normal, then. This is gonna be a long, long year._


	2. Chapter 2

"No, no, please stop what you're doing and sort that out!" Jemma exclaimed, pointing at Fitz's laptop screen as he sat on her bed typing away research the following week.

They had decided that they should do independent research and the come together to write the report in order to spend as little time actually working together as possible. However, they still had to stay in the same room to make sure they were both working at their best.

"What could you _possibly_ have a problem with now? Is the temperature one degree too cold? Are my socks too stripy? Does my hoodie clash with the rest of my outfit?" Fitz groaned sarcastically.

"No, no and…yes, actually. Grey, really? What I was referring to was your choice of font; change it, that's far too ugly." Jemma explained.

"You're serious?" Fitz asked.

"When I'm stuck with you, I'm never in a jokey mood."

"Simmons, you are aware that there is no link between font choice and failure of a task? We're graded on quality, not how pretty it looks." Fitz argued.

"I'm aware, yes, but it's putting me off. Please just change it to a font that isn't yucky." Jemma said.

"But this is the default one!"

"The default one is an ugly one. Please just change it?"

"Bloody hell, Simmons! Why don't I make it all underlined and bright pink while I'm at it?" Fitz groaned.

"Well, now you're being silly." Jemma said casually and Fitz sighed, giving in and changing the font on his document to match Jemma's.

"Thank you. Was that so hard?" Jemma smiled in her victory. Fitz just glared at her briefly before returning to his research.

"Harder than if I had to work with literally _anyone_ else. I'd rather put up with Skye than you." Fitz grumbled.

"Fitz, just shut up and get on with it! I'd rather work with anyone else too, but we're stuck with each other so stop bloody moaning every single second! It drives me _insane_." Jemma retaliated.

"I wouldn't _have_ to moan if I could use whatever bloody font I wanted to!"

"In the words of Elsa, LET IT GO!" Jemma exclaimed.

"Don't make 'Frozen' references at me! That movie is far too overrated, anyway." Fitz commented.

"You did NOT just say that, Leopold Fitz."

"I did, and it's true."

"I thought you couldn't sink any lower." Jemma shook her head.

…

"I hate her. I HATE HER." Fitz moaned as he sat on a chair in his only friend Mack's room, going there straight from Jemma's house.

"She never seemed all that bad at school." Mack commented as he sat drawing something at his desk.

"You didn't know her, not like I do. She's evil. Today she made me change the bloody font on my laptop AND called me out for having an opinion on how overrated 'Frozen' is." Fitz said.

"YOU DON'T LIKE 'FROZEN'?!" Mack exclaimed, swivelling his chair to face him.

"…No. Why, you do?"

"Yeah! That snowman cracks me up!" Mack chuckled as Fitz groaned again.

"Look Turbo, you've just gotta get through it like you always have."

"I know, I know, but…gah, she's SO frustrating. Why did you have to do an apprenticeship instead of college? I need someone there who's on my side." Fitz asked.

"Because it's what I wanted to do as a career, Turbo, you know that. At the end of the day, you're the smartest guy I know, and I know she's super genius too, right? So at least you know you'll get an amazing grade whatever happens. You only have to see her an hour a week outside of lessons." Mack said.

"Mack, she's in EVERY SINGLE LESSON I HAVE." Fitz exclaimed.

"…Hot damn."

…

"I hate him. I HATE HIM." Jemma moaned as she packed away all her stationery back into her bag while her friend Bobbi sat beside her filing her nails.

"Jem, be the bigger person and just get on with it like you have for years."

"I try to, and I always tell myself that before he comes over, but then he arrives and says and does all these annoying things and is just so rude that I burst with anger! I mean, I've met some angry Scots in my time but nothing like him." Jemma explained.

"It's because you're always both so determined to be the best at everything that you spend all your time together competing and trying to knock the other one down a peg. He's basically the male version of you, after all." Bobbi stated. Jemma turned to her in shock.

"You take that back right now."

"Jem, come on! I've heard you tell me about a million times how much you hate Leo Fitz; just give it a rest so we can have some fun! You mention him every single day and it got boring after the first few weeks." Bobbi said.

"…He doesn't like 'Frozen'." Jemma said.

"THAT SON OF A-"

…

"-Switch!" Mack exclaimed as he smiled happily at the blueprint in front of him.

"Sorry?" Fitz asked.

"I've been trying to work out what this thing here is, but it's a switch." Mack explained happily.

"I could've told you that." Fitz said.

"I know, but you won't be there to tell me the answers in my practical assessment next week, will you? See, you don't need to go to college to be an engineer." Mack stated.

"I would like more qualifications, though. And while I adore engineering I also wanted to pursue more into the sciences." Fitz said, looking at his watch and standing up in a panic.

"Bloody hell, I didn't know it was that late! The carer will be leaving soon." Fitz said, putting on his coat and picking up his bag.

"How's she holding up?" Mack asked, his tone growing serious.

"She's…okay, I guess. She's starting to remember less and less, though."

"Turbo, you really shouldn't be looking after her on your own, not when you have all this college work to juggle and all the part-time jobs you're getting. I can help out some-"

"-Mack, please. She hasn't got anyone else. She's getting aggressive with the carers and they're recommending she go into a home, but I can't afford that on my own. I'm all she's got left now dad's gone. The carers can't be there all day, every day." Fitz said sadly.

"Maybe you should tell Simmons what's going on, she'll understand."

"She'll think I'm even more of a loser than she already does; I won't give her the satisfaction." Fitz nodded.

"Turbo, you can't keep this up. Let someone help. Tell them that you're struggling." Mack said.

"Mack, I'm fine. I'm not struggling. I can do it on my own." Fitz said adamantly as he walked out of his friend's room.

"…For now." Mack whispered sadly, following him out.

…

Fitz walked through the front door of the bungalow.

"Karen?" He shouted. No reply.

The carer must have already gone, then.

"Mum? Mum?"

Fitz walked into the living room and saw her sat in her chair as always, watching TV. She looked startled as she spotted him walk in, wrapping her blanket around her even more tightly. Fitz smiled gently as he kneeled down next to her.

"Mum, it's me."

"…Who?"

"…Mum, it's Leo. Your son. Remember?"

"…Where's Karen gone?"

"…She left mum. She'll be back tomorrow." Fitz said.

Fitz's mother looked at her son, worry in her eyes.

"Shouldn't Leo be back by now?"

…

It wasn't the first time she'd done it, and it wouldn't be the last, yet it still shattered his heart every single time.

He tried his best to cry silently in the kitchen so she didn't see him.

After taking a few minutes to himself, Fitz dried his tears and walked back into the living room, where his mother turned to him and her face lit up.

"Leo! When did you get back?" She asked happily, taking his hand and kissing it as he moved a stray hair out of her eye.

"Just now, mum. You feeling okay? Hungry?" Fitz asked and his mother nodded.

"How about I make that pie you like?" Fitz smiled and his mother jumped up and down in her chair with a laugh, clapping her hands together.

As he headed back into the kitchen, he checked his phone for emails and saw he had received one from Jemma.

' _I've changed my mind about the font; we need to change it again. We'll talk about it next week or if we get a chance in lesson. We'll probably be able to swap notes next week too. –Simmons.'_

Fitz sighed, wiping the sweat from his brown as he leant against the kitchen side.

"Leo, can you make that pie I like?" Came a voice from the other room. Fitz took a deep breath.

"Of course I can, mum." He shouted back.

House bills, medical bills, college work, caring for his mum, two (and counting) part-time jobs to get by…it was all getting too much for Fitz, but he was far too scared to get any help.

…

"He _still_ hasn't replied to my email." Jemma noted later on that evening.

"Maybe he's busy."

"I'm sure he is." Jemma said, rolling her eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Fitz woke up to a further six emails from Jemma, all sent within minutes of each other. All of them concerned yet _another_ decision she'd made regarding fonts and colour schemes or her wanting to know what websites he'd researched from. Upon finding they had been sent at 5.30am came as a shock to Fitz.

 _Does this girl ever sleep?_

That wasn't the worst part, though. Fitz found himself spending the whole morning while he prepared breakfast for himself and his mum thinking about how annoying it was that, if Jemma had taken time and planned out what she wanted to know from him, she could've sent one clear email instead of six short messages within minutes of each other! Was it so hard to take a bit of time to think logically?

Also, why had she announced decisions had been made when she hadn't so much as consulted him about anything? It was meant to be a joint project, after all. Not that he wanted to work closely with her anyway, but rules are rules!

The nurse showed up just as Fitz was leaving for college, so he at least had peace of mind as he left that his mother was not alone, a thought that normally left him in a very bad mood all day. He'd gotten used to the feeling a bit more over the years, but he'd never forget the first day he started school following the move.

The family had moved to England from Scotland in pursuit of better healthcare following his mum's diagnosis, but the stress took its toll on everyone as she got worse and worse over time.

But on that first morning, Fitz spent the morning in tears as he had to force his mother off of him as she begged, _pleaded_ for him not to leave her on her own all day. Once he had left for school, his spirit had been shattered as the sound of her screams stayed in his head all day and left him broken. He'd never felt worse about himself, and took it out on the first person he interacted with on his first day.

Jemma Simmons.

All she did was introduce herself yet he told her to leave him alone and mind her own business; if he'd had a better morning their feud would probably have never really begun. However, once she started mocking him when she beat him in one test, he knew he had to destroy her in every way he could think of.

He only kept it up for the first few years because, even if it was just so she could mock him, Jemma was the only person who paid the slightest bit of attention to him. In more recent years, however, his hate for her had grown and grown.

Nothing hit him harder than the day, just over two years after the move, when his father told him he was going to the store and left him to cook dinner that night.

Fitz hadn't seen him since.

…

Jemma didn't even look at Fitz as he walked into the biology classroom and sat next to her.

"You didn't reply to my email." She said as she started writing notes from the board almost as instantly as Mrs Henderson was writing them on there.

"Which one? You sent about a thousand." Fitz noted.

"Don't exaggerate, Fitz. It's too early to deal with you." Jemma snapped.

"It's always too early to deal with you, Simmons. 5.30am, really? Do you ever bloody sleep?"

"Yes, I do. However, I have important things to be getting on with, like _our_ project." Jemma said.

"Oh, so it _is_ our project now? After all the decisions you've made without me, I was somewhat confused. That reminds me, I'm _so_ excited to see what font you've chosen!" Fitz said sarcastically. Jemma huffed as she returned to her notes.

"What did I do in a past life to deserve this? I must have killed someone." Jemma sighed.

"Lucky escape for them, then." Fitz snapped.

"Oh, be quiet or I'll-"

"-What? Send me another twenty emails?"

"You are SO aggravating! I've never understood why you've hated me from the beginning; I imagine you were just jealous of my intellect." Jemma said.

"You don't know the first thing about me, Simmons." Fitz said angrily.

"Incorrect, I know you're a prick."

"Well, aren't you so bloody clever? I know that you're a stuck up, spoilt brat with major OCD and you're about as smart as a pillow." Fitz said.

"If I'm as smart as a pillow, you must be about as smart as a second class stamp."

"How do your parents put up with you, Simmons?"

"Quite easily. I can't imagine how yours could possibly put up with you. I'd have left years ago." Jemma said. Fitz said nothing more.

"Can't think of a witty comeback for once? I'm surprised." Jemma added after a few moments.

"Why don't you keep your snobbery to yourself and just bloody shut up and do everyone a favour? Your voice is so grating you'd just need to stand next to some cheese and it would slice itself." Fitz said with venom in his words.

Jemma was slightly shocked in the brutal tone Fitz had taken, so she blanked him for the rest of the lesson and the rest of the day.

…

"Can you believe him? He called my voice _grating_." Jemma complained later that day as she sat in her friend Skye's living room watching TV with her.

"That's actually a pretty good insult. I'm stealing that." Skye chuckled.

"It's not funny Skye, he was SO rude to me! Ruder than normal, and that's saying something. He snapped at me out of nowhere." Jemma recounted.

"Jem, you give it right back to him." Skye noted.

"Yes, but today was different. He was really, _really_ angry with me."

"What did you say to him?"

"It was nothing out of the ordinary, I don't think. He told me I send too many emails even though I'm just trying to produce the best work we can, and then he said I was as smart as a pillow and I said I couldn't believe his parents could put up with him." Jemma recalled.

Skye turned to her with a look of shock on her face.

"That's a bit harsh, isn't it? Even for you, that's cold." Skye commented.

"What?"

"Well, you know…his dad walked out on him, remember?"

Jemma's face turned to one of horror.

"What?"

"Yeah, like two years after they moved here. I heard he went out to the store and never came back. That guy Mack told me. You didn't know?" Skye asked.

"Of course I didn't know! So it's just Fitz and his mum?" Jemma asked.

"Guess so, though I've never seen her around. Maybe she works from home." Skye speculated.

"Oh gosh…if I'd have known I would never have…" Jemma said, trailing off as she got out her phone.

…

"LEO, I'M HUNGRY!"

"I'm nearly finished mum, don't worry!"

Fitz was exhausted. He did a four hour shift at the local newsagent straight from school and then ran home to check on his mother and prepare food for them both. The kitchen was hot, steamy and stuffy; Fitz felt close to passing out. As he continued cooking the little food they had, he received an email from Jemma on his phone.

 _Here we go again._

"What now?" Fitz asked angrily as he opened the message.

' _I didn't know about your dad. I'm sorry.'_

A small part of Fitz appreciated what Jemma had done, but a larger part of his was so tired and stressed he wanted to cry; he couldn't do this right now.

…

"I apologised and what reply do I get? 'Whatever, Simmons'. The cheek of the guy! I can't believe I felt bad for a minute there." Jemma complained.

"Well, you did apologise so it's fine. It's no wonder the dude doesn't have any friends except Mack, and I think that was only because they sat together in maths and Fitz helped him out a bit." Skye said.

"Well, I don't know why I even bothered. And I still have to work with him for another year at least? Is life even worth living?" Jemma questioned with a sigh.

…

"There you go, mum." Fitz smiled as he gently placed the plate of food on his mother's lap.

"Thank you." She whispered, stroking her son's cheek with a smile while Fitz kissed the top of her head.

As it turned out, there was only enough food for one meal. He could go without for one night; he'd just have to go shopping tomorrow…with next to no money.

The only thing keeping Fitz from bursting into tears was the smile on his mother's face. She was the only good thing in his life, and she was slipping away with every passing day.

Is life even worth living?


	4. Chapter 4

"You're late." Jemma said the instant she opened the door to Fitz.

"A Fitz is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to."

Jemma stared blankly at him; she was already fed up with him and it's been mere seconds.

"You didn't get the reference? Really?" Fitz sighed as he walked in.

"I might have understood it had you gotten here on time." Jemma said as she walked up to her room, Fitz following behind.

"I'm only five minutes late, Simmons, calm down."

"A lot can happen in five minutes, Fitz!"

…

"I think it's safe to say we've done enough research; we should probably come together and start writing this report." Jemma suggested as she flicked through her notes.

"If we have to." Fitz sighed.

"Stop complaining; we have to do this so we should get it over with." Jemma said.

"I know, I know, it's not all you. The task is just so tedious and boring." Fitz complained.

"In another rare moment, I agree, but we still have to do it." Jemma said as she set up a document on her laptop. Fitz did the same.

"Though working with you only makes it worse." Fitz eventually added, darting a glance at her. She glared back, though part of her felt like she was holding back a slight smile at his comment. No, that couldn't be right.

"Now, since I'm the better typer I think I should be the scribe." Jemma interjected.

"I'm sorry? You're the better typer? I don't think so!" Fitz protested.

"Oh, Fitz, come on! Your technique is appalling. Who taught you, a monkey?"

"One can dream, Simmons!"

"…Ugh, I'm in no mood to fight with you. I'm the scribe, okay? It's been a long day of lessons and I've got my friends coming over tonight so I'm stressing about hosting duties." Jemma explained.

"Can you send me an email to confirm you're the scribe, then?"

"Shut up, Fitz. Speaking of my hard day at college, where were you today?" Jemma asked.

 _Mum had a fall; I had to look after her._

"I, uh…I felt a bit off, that's all." Fitz said.

He was greeted by an overwhelming sensation as Jemma squirted something in his face and on his clothing.

"WHAT THE HELL, SIMMONS?" Fitz shouted.

"It's only disinfectant Fitz! I can't afford to get sick!" Jemma said, continuing to spray the liquid onto him.

"STOP THAT RIGHT NOW YOU MAD WOMAN!"

…

"Fitz, will you STOP suggesting improvements for my grammar? It's fine as it is!"

"Oh, well I'm sorry Simmons, I didn't realise you wanted a sub-par report to hand in at Christmas! Forgive me; do carry on with your mediocre writing skills. Better scribe than me? I think not."

"Can we not go just one hour without fighting about something? Why do you always pick a fight over nothing? It's SO FRUSTRATING!" Jemma exclaimed.

"Maybe I just need a little bit of stress release, Simmons!"

"Stress release? Please. You go to college then sit at home. I've never seen you out and about or hanging out with friends. Well, friend…as in one singular friend." Jemma said.

"You don't know me half as well as you think you do, Simmons! Don't you dare judge me when you don't know me!" Fitz said angrily.

"I know you've had it in for me since day one when I did absolutely nothing wrong! I think that's all I _need_ to know about you! I'll have you know I'm a delight; I'm a kind, caring person who loves my friends and would do ANYTHING for them, which is why I have a whole bunch of them coming over tonight while you watch rubbish on the TV and go to bed before 9pm." Jemma retaliated.

"Here's an idea, Simmons; you stop throwing insults my way so we can get on with the work. I wouldn't want to take any time away from you getting ready for your little friends coming over to talk about college work and make fun of me." Fitz said.

"Make fun of you? You think that's how we spend our time?"

"Yes! You think I don't hear people when I walk past them in corridors? Laughing at me, calling me names, thinking I'm this freak who doesn't like company? I've been used to it for years, Simmons, and you're a hypocrite if you think you're not one of them! You're a whiny little gossip who tries to beat me in everything to make yourself feel important and superior because you know deep down how tiny and dull you really are!" Fitz shouted.

Jemma emptied her bottle of disinfectant all over him.

"And you're still filthy, what a surprise! Now get out." Jemma snapped.

"With pleasure." Fitz replied, wringing out his soggy hair over Jemma's desk as he stormed out.

"I'd invite you to my little party later, but I can't stand you." Jemma said as she followed him down the stairs.

"What makes you think I'd even want to come anyway? I'd rather be alone than spend two hours listening to drivel and clutching my ears so my mushy brain doesn't drip out of them." Fitz said, grabbing his shoes and opening the front door.

"You know what? Don't bother ever talking to me again, Fitz! I'll do this report on my own." Jemma shouted.

"FINE." Fitz screamed, slamming the door behind him as he left.

Jemma held back a few tears as she recalled Fitz's words.

She rushed back upstairs and sent an email to Mrs Henderson asking her for a new partner or if she could do the report alone. The reply told her neither option was possible; she'd fail the assignment if she and Fitz didn't work together. Fantastic.

…

Fitz wasn't at college again the next day, and Jemma had no choice but to work with him so something had to be done. He's claimed to be sick, but she thought he looked fine. Well, as fine as such a vile person could, anyway.

Jemma thanked her impeccable memory as she stormed over to Fitz's house after college (she was pretty sure she'd heard Mack mention where Fitz had lived before) and banged loudly on the door.

"Did you forget something, Karen?" Fitz asked as he opened the door. His face turned pale as he saw Jemma stood there angrily.

"Simmons?"

"You're not ill. We have to work together, Mrs Henderson said so. We'll fail otherwise." Jemma stated.

"Okay fine. I'll see you at yours next week." Fitz groaned.

"Can I come in?" Jemma asked.

"NO."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want you in here. You're probably armed with more disinfectant." Fitz stated.

"Grow up, Fitz. Let me in."

"Goodbye, Simmons." Fitz said, slamming the door shut.

"OW!" Jemma gasped.

Fitz immediately opened the door and saw Jemma clutching her nose.

"I'm sorry, Simmons! I didn't mean to-"

Jemma smiled as she let go of her completely unhurt nose and rushed past Fitz into the house.

"SIMMONS, STOP!"

It was too late. Fitz rushed into the living room and saw a look of shock and horror on Jemma's face.

…

 **This story was partly inspired by the song 'I Miss Her' by Jessie J. I'd definitely recommend listening to it.**


	5. Chapter 5

Jemma forgot how to speak the moment she walked into Fitz's living room.

Unwashed plates, stray pieces of clothing, litter and _dirt_ were scattered all over the room, while a middle-aged woman, likely Fitz's mother, slept in a chair, not looking particularly healthy. She tried to ignore the tangy smell of the place as she looked back at Fitz, who himself looked horrified and the tears in his eyes suggested he was ashamed.

"I was, uh…I was just about to clean this up." He choked.

"…I…I…" Jemma mustered.

"Simmons, I'd like you to go now. You had no right barging in here." Fitz said, somewhat angrily but unable to look her in the eye.

"I didn't realise that-"

"-Absolutely no right whatsoever. Like I said, you don't know me at all. Leave." Fitz snapped.

"Fitz…"

"Simmons, go. _Please_." Fitz whispered in desperation as tears threatened to rush down his cheeks.

"Uh…okay." Jemma nodded as she spoke almost silent words; heading out of the front door and not looking back to see Fitz put his head in his hands.

…

To Jemma's surprise, Fitz was in class the following day; she knew he was probably smart enough to not miss too many lessons.

She never thought she'd say it, but she spent the whole night thinking about him, regretting just walking out like she did. How on Earth was he in such a situation? She didn't understand, and she hated not knowing.

He was already sat in lesson that morning, and briefly glanced at her as she walked in. They didn't set next to each other in chemistry, much to his relief, but she was determined to get any answers she could out of him as soon as possible.

As class ended, Fitz rushed out of the door but Jemma was in hot pursuit.

"Fitz!"

"Not now, Simmons."

"Fitz, please." Jemma said, grabbing Fitz's arm and forcing him to look at her.

"I just…look, come over to my house later. Whenever you're ready. Explain this to me because I need to know."

"No you don't; it's none of your business. Don't pretend to care about me, Simmons." Fitz said.

"Fitz, I appreciate your intelligence too much to insult it by pretending I like you. You repulse me most of the time and I think you're way too often a disgusting human being. But that does not mean I'd discover what your home looks like and just forget about it. You're an awful person, but I think I'm getting the idea that there's always been a reason for that. Please, just come round. I promise I won't tell anyone; I'll say we're working on our report if anyone asks." Jemma explained.

"Simmons…"

"Please, Fitz. Believe it or not, I'd like to help if I can." Jemma said, letting go of Fitz's arm and walking off.

…

She was shocked to hear a knock on the door and could make out it was Fitz through the glass window.

"Is that your boyfriend?" Jemma's father teased as he watched TV in the living room.

"Shut up. We'll be in my room but don't disturb us no matter what. I know what mum's like." Jemma said as she headed for the door.

"I heard that!" Jemma's mother exclaimed as Jemma opened the door to see a shy and timid Fitz stood there.

"…I didn't think you'd come." Jemma admitted.

"I wouldn't have if Karen wasn't still at home." Fitz said, slowly walking past her and up the stairs.

…

"I'd made a list of questions just in case you did come." Jemma said, holding up a piece of paper from her desk as Fitz sat on her bed, glumly staring at the floor.

"Fitz? I don't want to push you or anything."

"…I've never really discussed it with anyone, Simmons. Maybe it's time I do. I never thought it'd be with my nemesis, though." Fitz said.

"It's childish to have a nemesis." Jemma noted.

"But I have one, and so do you." Fitz replied.

"I suppose." Jemma said, joining him on the bed. They both sat opposite each other with their legs crossed. Fitz was taking many deep breaths while Jemma's heart was beating faster and faster as her nerves grew over any answers Fitz was about to give to her questions.

"Okay…you've mentioned Karen; you thought I was her yesterday. She's…?" Jemma began.

"T-the nurse, yeah. Mum's nurse, really. Not mine." Fitz said, playing with his fingers as he looked downwards. Jemma tried to ignore how bizarre and unpredictable their situation currently was.

"And the mess?" Jemma asked.

"…It's not normally that bad, it was just a messy day. I had a lot to do and our vacuum's broken. I haven't had much time to clean recently." Fitz revealed.

"And Karen doesn't help out?"

"A bit; she's only round a few hours a day. She's a nurse, not a maid." Fitz snapped.

"True, I'm sorry, I just-"

"-No, it's fine; I didn't mean to say it like that. I just…I'm tired, that's all." Fitz said.

"…Why does your mum need a nurse?" Jemma asked nervously; she was terrified she was pushing for too much information, but she'd always thought it seemed as if Fitz was holding so much back he could explode; maybe this was it.

"…Alzheimer's." Fitz whispered, tears forming in his eyes as he composed himself. Jemma herself felt her heart shatter at Fitz's admission.

She'd never experienced or met anyone with Alzheimer's before. She hoped she'd never have to.

"…Oh, Fitz…"

"She was, uh…she was diagnosed about five years ago. That's why we moved here; heard there were better treatment options. She wasn't too bad for the first year or so, especially with dad helping out too. We managed on our own, just visiting consultants now and again." Fitz explained. Jemma nodded to show she was following.

"She got worse fast. By the two year mark dad was frustrated and angry all the time; snapping at her and me on a daily basis. Then one day he told me he was going to the shop and…haven't heard from him since." Fitz added.

Jemma closed her eyes as she took in the sadness of Fitz's story.

"He always used to walk to the store; that day he took the car for the first time ever. I should have known, really." Fitz chuckled, knowing full well it wasn't a laughing matter in the slightest but laughing nonetheless.

"…Leo…"

"Don't…don't call me Leo, that sounds weird." Fitz said.

"Sorry…"

"…So, um…it was just me and mum then. I thought he'd been in an accident at first, for the first few days. I called all the hospitals and surgeries but after a while I realised he'd just gone. Like the coward he was…is. Mum got a lot worse after that. After a while she'd forget he'd gone sometimes; asked me when he was getting home from work. Other days she forgot she was married at all. I wish…I wish I could forget him sometimes." Fitz admitted as the first of his tears fell.

"Fitz…" Jemma whispered, crying herself, as she placed a hand on his knee. He moved it away.

"I don't deserve your support, Simmons; I've been awful to you."

"Fitz."

"No, can I just…? Okay. When she got that bad we got Karen to come and help out; she's great for the most part, but it's still hard watching her fall apart piece by piece, like she's decaying right in front of me. After diagnosis you normally live between 3 and 9 years…it's been five, so I'm terrified that-"

Fitz had to stop for a minute to compose himself.

"…The worst part is that I have to lie to her every day. Lie about dad, lie about how I'm doing, lie about money…then she forgets the lie so I have to keep lying to her again and again every day. I don't like living with that."

"…How…How do you get by?" Jemma asked as nicely as she could.

"Well, um…I have a couple of jobs and I'm applying for more, just to pay for all the bills and that sort of stuff. No one sees me about because I'm either doing homework, housework or a job. Always working somehow. Some days I go without food to make it last a week." Fitz explained and Jemma cried more silent tears.

"When did you last eat?"

"Simmons…"

"When?"

"…Three, four days? I dunno."

"…And, uh…when you moved here…it must have been stressful." Jemma noted.

"It was, yeah. We left behind family and friends and arrived at a strange place full of people we didn't know. I was stressed all the time from helping mum out and from dad yelling and…I just assumed everyone I'd ever meet would be against me, like it seemed they were. That's why I was mean to you, I guess, right from the start. It was my fault. I forgot that it was possible for another human to be kind." Fitz choked.

Jemma's heart shattered even further as she took Fitz's hand.

"Oh my god…" She whispered with a cry.

"I'm sorry, Simmons, I am. I just…you fought back and I thought that was a way of interacting with someone, anyone. At least someone noticed me. You and Mack were the only people who spoke to me every day." Fitz said.

"Fitz, it wasn't your fault. You were so young. You still are. If I had known about this I-"

"-But you didn't. You couldn't have known."

"I've been horrible to you too, Fitz. Don't make it seem like I'm the victim. If anyone is, you are. I'm sorry too." Jemma said.

"It's been the worst five years, Simmons…" Fitz admitted, finally breaking down.

Jemma instantaneously wrapped her arms around him and held him close for the first time in her life, crying along with him.

…

Forty minutes later, they came down the stairs after Jemma's mother called her to dinner.

"Thank you." Fitz whispered.

"No, thank you. For being so honest. I'm just sorry that you've been going through this. And I'm sorry I've hated you for five years for the wrong reason. You were being so kind to your mum that you were cruel to others. I was just cruel." Jemma said.

"I, uh…I don't know if this changes things, I…"

"…I wouldn't think so. I'm still gonna get superior grades." Jemma teased with a smile.

"In your dreams, Simmons." Fitz chuckled, wiping his eyes.

They shared a smile; another first in their relationship, even after five years.

"Come on Jem, before it gets cold!" Jemma's mother shouted.

"I'll leave you to eat." Fitz said, turning to leave. Jemma grabbed his arm again.

"Actually mum, I'm not that hungry. Fitz will eat it, though!" Jemma shouted. Fitz's eyes widened as he shook his head, but she nodded furiously.

"Oh, okay…if he wants it." Jemma's mother shouted back.

"I couldn't." Fitz whispered.

"Get in there and eat or I swear I'll kick you so hard your leg with come clean off." Jemma retaliated, pointing towards the dining room.

They shared their second smile.


	6. Chapter 6

Fitz's mother was asleep when he returned home later a bit later than he intended.

He was surprised at how welcome he felt in Jemma's house despite the fact that she must have spent five years telling them horrible things about him. He complimented Jemma's mum's cooking after only one bite, and even had a brief conversation with the Simmons family about his and Jemma's report. Not once did they punch or insult him for being mean to their daughter, though he did spot Jemma look at them and nod from time to time; maybe she was telepathically telling them to be nice to him.

Either way, he'd had a surprisingly nice time at the Simmons household for once, and had felt a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Something, however still bothered him. He'd spent five years detesting Jemma Simmons and all she stood for.

So why on Earth did he tell her everything that's been going on with him so easily? He'd told Jemma details even Mack didn't know.

Fitz was shocked to think of Mack, as the moment he did was the moment he spotted his friend sitting outside his front door.

"How long have you been there?" Fitz asked, causing Mack to look up at him.

"Long enough. I didn't want to intrude; all the lights were off so I assumed she was in bed, but you wouldn't answer your phone so I came over to check on you." Mack explained.

"Sorry, I've been…busy." Fitz said.

"Were you at Jemma's?"

"Yeah. I'd actually like to talk to you about that, if you don't mind." Fitz admitted, and Mack invited him to sit down next to him on the step, which he did.

"What happened?" Mack asked.

"…I told her. Everything. About mum and Karen and me." Fitz said.

"I said you should. Was she understanding?" Mack asked.

"Yeah, more than that, really. She even let me stay and eat her mum's cooking." Fitz said.

"I thought she hated you?"

"She did. She _does_. That won't change after one conversation. That's not what's bothering me though. I told her more about it than I've ever told you. So I'm wondering-"

"-Why it was so easy to open up to her, and how you told her everything in so much detail so quickly?" Mack finished.

"Yeah. I mean, I went round after she invited me. I could've just stayed at home and not bothered. Part of me feels like I should have." Fitz nodded.

"Turbo, you're terrible at hiding how lonely you are; you saw another chance to escape the pressure of your home life for a short time and you took it, I can't blame you for that. And we both know that you never talk to me about everything because you think it'd make you seem weak and I'd think less of you. Which, by the way, is absolute crap." Mack explained.

Fitz's silence told Mack he was right.

"…Yeah, but…why did I tell her? Of anyone I could have talked to and opened up to? Why did I tell her _everything_? I can't stand her either. I hardly know her."

"Turbo, you've known her for five years. She's your 'worst enemy'; you've watched and studied her every move for half a decade. You know her better than most of your family, you just didn't realise it. You're a smart guy, and you're smart enough to know that opening up to Jemma Simmons is a smart move because…"

"…She's one of the few people trustworthy enough not to tell anyone else. I may hate her most of the time, but I recognise she's smart and is capable of kindness." Fitz finished.

"Exactly. I think you subconsciously wanted to tell her because you knew, deep down inside you, that she'd take your darkest secrets to her grave. She's your rival, not a monster."

"…Is it just me or does that make a sort of sense?" Fitz chuckled.

"I think it kinda does. You two have always appeared to have a complicated relationship. You say you don't want to think about her as it'll 'ruin your day' yet you talk about her all the time, albeit moaning about her. We both know you couldn't survive without Simmons; she pushes you to be greater. Just the same as you push her. You're both two sides of the same coin." Mack explained.

Fitz took in Mack's words and was still confused by the amount of sense they made. Somehow, it made sense for him to have Jemma Simmons in his life.

…

When Jemma saw him reading in the library the next day before class, she was unsure as to whether or not she should approach him; on the one hand things could easily be very awkward and _never mind, she's walked right up to him and sat down on the chair beside him_.

"Fitz."

"…Simmons."

Silence for a moment.

"So, um…thanks for, you know, yesterday." Fitz eventually said.

"Don't mention it. It was probably for the best that I knew. I won't tell anyone, I swear." Jemma nodded affirmatively.

"Thanks. I, um…I don't know where this leaves us. I um…"

"Fitz, nothing needs to change dramatically. I think we both know our rivalry makes us produce our best work. Besides, while I can't argue with you if you're ever late or have to reschedule our project sessions, there are approximately 800 other things you do that anger me that I can shout at you about instead. While I understand your hate now, it doesn't mean it goes away. There are many things you do completely unrelated to your home life that repulse me." Jemma said, a glint in her eye.

"Understood. And right back at you." Fitz said, forcing back a small smile.

"Good."

"Fine."

Jemma stood up, satisfied, and walked off.

"Simmons? I hate you."

"Hate you too, Fitz."

As he watched her walk off, it hit Fitz even more that telling Jemma the truth was easy for him. She already thought so little of him that telling her would hardly make a difference.

The small but vital realisation made Fitz much happier and more comfortable. Plus, things didn't need to be all that different between him and Simmons. The thought made his already dim world just that bit brighter.

…

The next week saw business as usual at Jemma's house. Fitz had drafted two paragraphs of the report and Jemma inspected it closely before handing it back.

"I can't see any changes that need to be made. Perfect." Jemma said.

"Oh…really?"

"Yes. Really."

"…Look, Simmons, you don't have to be nice to me now." Fitz sighed. Jemma rolled her eyes.

"Fitz, do you honestly think I'd jeopardise my grade by letting you use an imperfect piece of writing in our report because I feel bad for you? You're smarter than that, come on." Jemma said.

"…Good point. I'm sorry." Fitz nodded. He appreciated how Jemma was treating him the same as she always had (he never thought he'd say that).

It was funny; even though she understood the beginning of their feud started because Fitz had simply had a bad morning didn't end the five years of hatred, because they'd still done and said horrible things to each other.

"Shall I check over your draft of the introduction?" Fitz asked.

"No need. It's perfect." Jemma said.

"Simmons, do you honestly think I'd jeopardise my grade by letting you use what could be an imperfect piece of writing in our report by not peer assessing it? You're smarter than that, come on." Fitz smirked.

"THAT. THAT SMIRK. I _HATE_ THAT SMIRK." Jemma said as she handed Fitz her work.

"It's a smirk for the greater good, Simmons." Fitz said.

"Shut up, Fitz."

"You could take out a few words in the opening paragraph, and there's a good place near the end to use a semi colon." Fitz said.

"…You're being way too picky. If we were going into that level of analysis I'd have ripped your contribution to shreds." Jemma said.

"Oh, really?"

"REALLY."

"It's so close to perfection, Simmons, don't get stroppy about it." Fitz said.

"Stop being such a nit-picker, Fitz! It's perfect as it is!" Jemma protested.

"Just let me make these minor adjustments."

"No. Leave it."

"What was the point of letting me look at it then?" Fitz asked.

"It shut you up. For all of five seconds, mind you." Jemma replied.

"I'm changing it."

"Then I'll change it back."

"Simmons, you're impossible!"

" _I'm_ the impossible one? As Skye would say, 'bitch, please!'."

"Look, this isn't working, both of us writing separately. There's gonna be something that one of us is happy with but the other one isn't. We're gonna have to write every single word of this bloody thing _together_." Fitz said.

"…Perhaps you're right. Though this could also be the catalyst I need to actually murder you." Jemma snapped. Fitz leaned closer towards her, squinting his eyes.

"I'd like to see you try, Simmons."

"No, you really wouldn't. Let's at least _try_ it then. For the sake of our grades. We'll start the introduction from scratch then go from there. We'll have a different colour pen each and suggest changes as and when we go. Here…" Jemma explained, handing Fitz a pen. He immediately sighed.

"Simmons, this pen is pink."

"Suits you." Jemma smirked. Fitz rolled his eyes, ignoring her.

"Working together? Actually, properly together? This should be interesting. This might be either the best or worst idea we've ever had."

"Only one way to find out." Jemma noted.


	7. Chapter 7

Jemma and Fitz stared at the piece of paper in front of them, filled with neatly written sentences written in a mesh of black and pink (much to Fitz's continued distain). It had gone surprisingly well. With only one argument over punctuation and what letters in the title should be capitalised, it had been a smooth and easy ride writing the introduction of their report.

"We could cut the third paragraph." - "We've repeated ourselves in paragraph three."

They looked at each other in surprise.

"…Well, we can cut that then." Jemma said, almost awkwardly.

"…Yeah." Fitz agreed with a whisper as Jemma crossed out what she needed to.

"…This has gone surprisingly well." Jemma noted.

"I know. It's kind of…weird." Fitz agreed.

"I suppose working together on it, we were more…in tune? On the same wavelength?" Jemma suggested.

"Almost…subconsciously?" Fitz asked.

"Yeah." Jemma clarified.

Neither of them could deny their joint writing effort was far above any previous attempts.

"I'm not sure how it happened, but we can't argue with the results. It makes all the points we wanted it to and it makes a statement; it's a strong start to the report." Jemma assessed.

"I agree. What should we work on next?" Fitz asked.

"Fitz, we're quite ahead of everyone else and we have more than enough time to finish. Maybe we can call it a day?" Jemma suggested. Fitz looked surprised.

"Jemma Simmons, are you suggesting we don't spend every second of every day working? What's happened to you?" Fitz mocked.

"I don't work every second of every day, Fitz! That would be highly unwise and unhealthy. I just thought that a break could do some good. I don't want anything to be any more stressed than it has to be." Jemma said cautiously. Fitz sighed.

"Simmons, I don't want you to go easy on me. I told you. I'm coping. You said you wouldn't treat me any differently."

"I'm trying not to."

"You're not, though! You've never wanted to take a break before! The first time you do is when you suddenly know what life is like for me at home. It's suspicious, that's all."

"Sorry for trying to be nice."

"Simmons, I…I get that, and I appreciate what you're trying to do and letting me eat here the other day, but…you and Mack were the only people who ever _saw_ me. I just want to be seen as a normal person. Mack does and he knows what's going on with my mum; I thought it wouldn't affect you as much because you hate me." Fitz explained.

"That doesn't mean I'm necessarily _evil_ Fitz. I wouldn't wish your situation on my worst enemy and, well…you _are_ my worst enemy. I'm not going to apologise for treating you with kindness for the first time ever." Jemma said, and Fitz had to admit she had a good point.

"You've got me there."

"I've got a better understanding of you now, Fitz; I think that's why us working together has worked as well as it has. Maybe we can pretend nothing has changed, but it has. I understand your hate for me isn't blind, and I can't hate you with the fury I once could." Jemma said.

"So, things have changed. You can't hate me quite as much as you used to?" Fitz asked.

"Normal human beings would think that was a good thing." Jemma teased.

"Shut up. I guess…I guess it could be. And you have been pretty kind to me after I told you everything. I suppose I don't hate you _quite_ as much anymore either. There's some respect thrown respect thrown in there now."

"Let's say we can take a break from work every now and again, and we go from being mortal enemies to…major inconveniences?" Jemma proposed, holding her hand out to Fitz while holding back a smile.

"Major inconveniences." Fitz nodded, shaking Jemma's hand.

…

"So, let me get this straight. You and Fitz are friends now?" Jemma's mother asked in the kitchen ten minutes later as Jemma made drinks for herself and Fitz. Fitz, meanwhile, sat in the living area silently and awkwardly.

"Goodness, no! I just have to ignore the quirks that made me intensely hate him, so now he's only majorly annoying. I'm quite surprised at how well we worked together today; our project has come on leaps and bounds." Jemma recalled.

"Imagine how great your work would be if you were friends." Jemma's mother noted.

Jemma didn't have a reply.

…

Jemma's mother chuckled to herself as she peeped through the kitchen door at Jemma and Fitz silently taking sips from their glasses and not saying a word. While they had plenty to say during a heated argument or when they were working, they had become all too aware that in any normal social environment they had nothing to say. It was like a terrible silent film.

The silence was interrupted by the sound of a familiar piece of music that made Jemma's face light up as well as sit up straight in her chair.

 _That's the Doctor Who theme. Where's that coming from?_

Jemma's question was answered when she saw Fitz awkwardly reach into his pocket and pull out his phone, mouthing 'sorry' as he answered it, causing the theme tune to stop.

"Hello? Karen, is something wrong? IS MUM OKAY? Oh, oh, okay. Yeah, um…they're in the cupboard above the stove. Yeah, okay. Bye." Fitz remarked as he spoke on the phone, eventually hanging up.

"Sorry, Karen was trying to find something." Fitz said.

"That's okay. I, uh…I like your ringtone." Jemma complimented.

"Oh, thanks. Doctor Who is my favourite show, so…"

"Mine too!" Jemma said a bit too enthusiastically.

"Really? How about that?" Fitz said, pleasantly surprised by the revelation.

The two said nothing more while Jemma's mother continued smiling in the other room.

…

"Bye, Mrs Simmons." Fitz said with a smile as Jemma led him to the front door.

"See you soon, Leo." Jemma's mother replied happily.

"Oh, so you're nice to my mum then?" Jemma questioned as Fitz stepped out into the open air.

"Well, she doesn't annoy me." Fitz teased.

"Anyway, we made good progress today, and we're still right on track." Jemma summarised.

"Yeah, it went well. Maybe, um…maybe I could bring that signed Doctor Who DVD over next week to show you? The one I was telling you about?" Fitz suggested shyly.

"…Oh, yes. That would be wonderful. I-If you don't mind."

"…It's, uh, it's no problem."

"Right. Good. I'll see you in class, then." Jemma nodded.

"Yeah, see you in class." Fitz replied, turning and walking away.

"Fitz?"

"Yeah?"

"You may love Doctor Who too, but I still hate you."

"Still hate you too, Simmons." Fitz chuckled and walked off. Jemma watched him go and laughed to herself as she closed the door.

He'd said those three little words, 'I hate you', so many times over the years; guessing even a million would probably be nowhere near enough. Yet, he'd never said it quite like _that_ before.

And now Jemma thought about it, neither had she.

They finally had things in common; topics to discuss with enthusiasm rather than hatred. They'd been to each other's houses. They'd seen how their lives were every day. Whether Jemma and Fitz liked it or not, something had changed.

Quite as to what had changed was still a mystery, but it was a mystery worth solving.


	8. Chapter 8

"Jem, Leo's here!" Jemma's mother shouted the following week.

"Okay, send him up!"

A few minutes later, Fitz walked in to Jemma's room carrying his bag, a plastic box and a smile.

"Simmons."

"Fitz. I'll be right with you, I'm in the zone." Jemma said, typing furiously at her laptop.

"I thought it was weird you didn't answer the door." Fitz noted as he sat on her bed.

"I got started on the physics homework and I'm on a roll; didn't want to interrupt my train of thought. I'm almost done. Plus, you're early so I'm not eating into our time." Jemma explained. Fitz chuckled.

"Calm down, Simmons it's fine. We're not on a date or anything."

Jemma stopped typing for a second then continued.

"I see your deduction skills are as polished as ever." She teased.

"Oh, be quiet. It was a joke." Fitz grinned.

"I say this to you very often, but I should remind you jokes are meant to be funny, Fitz."

"They would be if you actually possessed a sense of humour, Simmons."

Jemma shut her laptop and joined Fitz on the bed, placing her stack of notes on her lap.

"All done. What's that?" Jemma asked, pointing at the plastic tub next to Fitz.

"Oh, um…I was just using up ingredients before they went off. I made shortbread." Fitz explained, opening the lid of the tub and handing it to Jemma.

"I love shortbread!" Jemma said excitedly as she grabbed a piece.

"Me too."

"Well, that's obvious. _Scottish._ " Jemma said, attempting a Scottish accent.

"That is literally the worst impression I've ever heard." Fitz laughed.

"Shut up! Better than the one you always do of me to get on my nerves; my voice is not _that_ high pitched!" Jemma argued with a smile.

"I know, I know. You have a somewhat normal voice. You do go squeaky at the end of some sentences, though." Fitz said.

"I do no such thing!" Jemma protested, her voice going squeaky and making Fitz chuckle.

"Simmons, your voice is fine."

"As is yours, even if you can be hard to understand. Though most of the time I don't want to understand you, so there's that." Jemma teased as she tasted the shortbread.

"Oh my god! This is amazing!" Jemma squealed.

"Really?"

"Fitz, it's delicious! Um…thank you…for bringing it, I mean. That was kind of you."

"You're welcome." Fitz smiled.

 _Wow, his eyes really are blue._

 _Her eyes are the exact shade of her hair._

"So, um…how's your mum? If you don't mind me asking?" Jemma questioned.

"She's okay, thanks. No better, no worse. I've been keeping on top of the mess, too." Fitz explained.

"That's good to hear. If you need help cleaning one day, I'd be happy to help."

"Simmons, you honestly do more than enough by not telling anyone. They'd think less of me, and that's practically impossible now. Everyone at college hates me, anyway." Fitz sighed.

"Why would everyone hate you?"

"Because I'm the enemy of Jemma Simmons. You're the smartest and most popular girl in that place." Fitz said. Jemma smiled and blushed slightly.

"Did you just admit I'm smarter than you?" Jemma teased.

"…No. I said you were the smartest _girl_ ; you're intellect is nothing compared to mine. I am the intelligent ape, and you are a stone slab." Fitz grinned.

"You're an ape? Sounds about right." Jemma smiled before looking down at her notes. Fitz watched her for a moment before doing the same.

"We best get to work!" Jemma exclaimed, shuffling her piles of notes in her hand.

"Oh! Uh, yeah. Where do we start?" Fitz asked.

"Let's just go through what we've got so far and go from there."

"Sure. I overheard Raina from our class the other day; apparently her partner's making her do all the work while she goes out partying." Fitz said.

"Really? That's dreadful; I hate nothing more than someone who doesn't put effort into their work. Except for you." Jemma chuckled, shooting Fitz a quick glance.

"You're on form today, aren't you Simmons?"

"I certainly am. It must be the shortbread." Jemma said.

"In that case, keep your bloody hands off it." Fitz grinned.

…

"Fitz?"

"Yep?"

"What you were saying earlier about everyone hating you…they don't know the story, so don't take it personally. Besides, you're not my enemy, remember? You're my major inconvenience."

"You're my major inconvenience too, Simmons."

…

Later that night, Jemma sat watching TV while polishing off the shortbread (Fitz had insisted she ate the rest of it before he left) when her dad walked in.

"Has that boy gone home already?" He asked.

"Yeah; he got a call and had to check on his mum, that's all. We still got all the work done we needed to." Jemma explained.

"I wish you'd tell us why we should be okay with him all of a sudden. It's like whiplash after years of you complaining about him all day, every day." He added.

"It's a bit too personal, dad. I mean, it's not like we're friends or anything, we just have an understanding now." Jemma said.

"Really?" Jemma's mother asked as she walked into the room and handed her husband a plate of food to indulge in.

"Yes, why?"

"It's just…I never hear you argue loudly anymore and…I don't you, you never seem irritated by him in the slightest when you two are talking down here. I've actually seen you smile in his presence once or twice. You also gossip about your fellow students from time to time. It looks like a friendship to me."

"I'll admit our feuding is a tad more… _playful_ now…but it's feuding nonetheless."

"Playful, eh? Interesting choice of words." Jemma's dad teased.

"Be quiet! I can cope with him now, okay? That's all there is to it. Things haven't changed that much between us when you examine it closely." Jemma said.

"Is that shortbread?" Jemma's mother asked.

"Oh yeah, Fitz made some for me." Jemma smiled, earning a smirk from both her parents.

"Shut up."

…

Fitz got undressed and slid into his bed after tucking his mother in, and was just about to turn off his lamp when his phone beeped on the table next to him. He'd received a text from Jemma.

' _Mum had some shortbread and said it was the best thing she'd ever tasted. Thanks again for making it.'_

Fitz smiled to himself as he sent a reply.

' _My pleasure.'_

As he contently drifted off to sleep, Fitz concluded that it felt great to be noticed.


	9. Chapter 9

"Okay Fitz, I think that's it."

"Sure?"

"Yeah. We've checked and rechecked it time and time again. We're done. That's it. A month to go until it's due and…there you have it."

"…Wow."

Jemma and Fitz stared at the laptop in front of them in shock and awe of their completed work. After a rough start, things had really come together quickly. They made a good team, though they'd deny that if anyone asked.

"Are we allowed to hand it in early?" Fitz asked.

"I would think so." Jemma replied.

"Oh…right. Good. That's that then." Fitz said.

"Yeah." Jemma nodded delicately.

"Uh…good work, Simmons."

"Good work, Fitz."

…

"You know, we haven't argued even once today." Fitz noted as the two walked down Jemma's stairs towards the front door.

"That's true. Thank you for toning down your annoyability today." Jemma smiled.

"Annoyability? Is that a word?"

"I doubt it, but it suits you." Jemma said.

"Whatever you say, Simmons." Fitz said as he put on his shoes and opened the door.

"Naturally."

"…Right. See you at college, I guess."

"Yes, I will…do that."

"Bye, Simmons."

"Bye, Fitz."

Fitz gave a small smile as he headed out.

"WAIT! Uh…w-would you like to stay for a cup of tea? It would be rude not to ask, you did come all the way here, I…if you want?" Jemma suggested.

"I'd like that." Fitz smiled.

…

"Did you eat the last custard cream?"

"…I like custard creams."

"OH, FITZ!"

…

"Thanks for the tea. I'll leave you to it. I bet it's nice to have time to yourself since your parents are out." Fitz said, standing up.

"Yeah, yeah, it is."

"Oh! Hang on; I think I left my laptop upstairs. My favourite Doctor Who episode is downloaded onto it; don't wanna risk anything happening to it." Fitz explained.

"What one is your favourite?"

"Uh…'The Doctor's Wife'?"

"Mine too!" Jemma exclaimed. Fitz's face lit up.

"Really? Huh. D-Do you, uh…I don't know…do you wanna watch it, maybe?" Fitz proposed.

"Okay." Jemma said rather quickly.

"Okay. I'll, uh…I'll just go get it." Fitz smiled and rushed upstairs.

…

"I LOVE this part!" – "This is my favourite bit!"

The two looked at each other.

"We need to stop doing this; speaking at the same time. No one will understand us." Jemma joked.

"According to you they don't understand me anyway. Your hilariously bad Scottish accent attempted to prove that point."

"Whatever, Fitz."

…

"Right, I really should go." Fitz said, shutting his laptop as the end credits rolled and putting it back into his bag.

"Yes, of course." Jemma nodded as she led him to the front door.

"Uh…thanks. For having me round." Fitz smiled nervously.

"My pleasure. Here's a sentence I thought I'd never say: I enjoyed your company, Fitz." Jemma said and Fitz chuckled.

"I've enjoyed your company too, Simmons."

"I still hate you, though."

"Hate you too."

…

The next day, Jemma walked into the library with a grin. She had just handed in her and Fitz's report to Mrs Henderson, who seemed extremely impressed with their efforts after reading the first few pages. She couldn't think of anything that could bring her mood down.

Even thinking of Fitz didn't bring her the sense of annoyance and utter hatred she had grown used to over the years. They had a bond (of sorts) now. They could communicate without wanting to punch each other and the face and squabble for hours on end. They understand each other; Jemma dared to admit there was a bit of respect and fondness there now. After all, they had turned out to be extraordinarily good together academically; once focused they produced what she felt was her best ever work. They made a good team.

Upon seeing Fitz sat sadly in the corner of the library staring at the floor, Jemma felt something for him she never thought she would…concern. The sight of a saddened Fitz just a few months ago would have filled her with so much joy, but now it was a different feeling. Dread.

"Fitz?"

He looked up at her.

"Oh. Simmons."

"…You okay?"

"Fine."

"…I, uh…I just handed in our report to Mrs Henderson. She seemed very, very impressed." Jemma said.

"Oh. Good." Fitz said, still staring at nothing in particular.

"What is it? I know that face. I'm normally the one that makes it look like that." Jemma said, setting herself down in the seat next to him.

"What if someone spots you interacting with me when you don't have to?" Fitz asked.

"Well, their opinion doesn't really matter does it? What's wrong?" Jemma asked. Fitz sighed.

"…When I…when I got home last night I found mum and Karen in tears." Fitz explained.

"Why? Were they watching something sad on TV?"

"Mum hit her. Mum hit Karen. She just lashed out. Unheard of until then. Karen's got a black eye, bless her. She looked so shaken and mum was in pieces. By the time I put her to bed it was like she'd forgotten anything had happened." Fitz expanded.

"Oh, Fitz. What does that all mean exactly?" Jemma asked.

"…I have no idea. Nothing good, probably. She has been getting worse recently. I hate to admit it, but she has." Fitz said, battling hard to stop the tears in his eyes for escaping down his cheeks.

"Why don't you talk to a professional about this? Maybe there's someone here you can speak to?" Jemma suggested.

"I don't know, Simmons. I don't want to think about this right now. I was shocked when Karen even turned up again this morning." Fitz said.

"I don't know much about it, but I have heard of cases of violence. It's not uncommon, and it's not your mum's fault. It's that horrible condition." Jemma said.

"I know, but it's still eating away at her. How can I know exactly where she is every second of every day and still be losing her?" Fitz asked desperately.

Jemma instinctively put her hand on top of Fitz's. She always was a supportive person; she couldn't stand to see someone cry. She assumed Fitz hadn't realised a stray tear had rolled down his cheek, but she didn't bring it up anyway.

"If you need any help, just talk to me. I'm sure Mack will want to help out too." Jemma said.

"I know, but he's just not the best at cleaning. He helped me clean the house once and I swear the rooms he tidied looked worse when he'd finished. It's just hard to keep on top of it all." Fitz admitted.

"I happen to be very good at cleaning. I'm one of few people who love it. It makes me feel nice. Why don't I come over tonight and help you clean a bit?" Jemma suggested.

"I couldn't ask you to-"

"-Then don't. How about I help you clean if you bake me some more shortbread?" Jemma suggested with a cheeky smile. Fitz succumbed to the grin on her face and chuckled, running his fingers through his hair.

"Deal." He said, mouthing a 'thank you' to go along with it.

"I'll see you later then." Jemma smiled, standing up.

"You know Simmons, helping me like this…it's something a friend would do." Fitz said.

"Or just a good Samaritan." Jemma returned with a tease, turning to walk away. She paused for a moment and faced Fitz again.

"But if we get a good grade on our report, we'll talk." She added and walked off.

Fitz watched her go with a smile. Surely this couldn't be the same girl he'd spent years hating and arguing with? That girl seemed like a distant memory. Jemma Simmons had changed since then. Or perhaps he had. Maybe it was the both of them.

Either way, this was a Jemma Simmons he might go as far as to say might be…his friend.


	10. Chapter 10

Fitz hurried to the door after hearing a knock, and smiled slightly when he opened it to reveal Jemma stood there happily.

"Hey." She smiled.

"Hi, thanks for doing this." Fitz said.

"No problem." Jemma nodded as she walked in.

"I've done a bit of tidying; it's mostly upstairs that is the messiest." Fitz explained.

"Well, I'm sure there won't be a problem." Jemma commented, walking into the living room and seeing Fitz's mum instantly look at her with wide eyes and an expression of shock.

"This is my mum, Clara. Mum, this is my…Jemma." Fitz announced.

Jemma raised her eyebrows.

"No, I mean…not _my_ Jemma, I didn't mean, I…you're not _mine_ , we're not…there's nothing…Jemma. You're Jemma. Not mine. You're not an object. I don't objectify women." Fitz said, his face growing red as Jemma and Clara chuckled while shaking hands.

"Nice to meet you, Mrs Fitz." Jemma smiled.

"And you. Aren't you beautiful?! Isn't she beautiful, Leo?" Carmen exclaimed. Jemma slowly turned to face Fitz, who's face had practically blended with the red paint on the walls.

"Oh, um, well…"

"Why don't I get started upstairs, Fitz? I imagine your room is probably the worst?" Jemma teased and Clara cackled.

"Uh…okay." Fitz said, scratching his head as Jemma smiled at Clara and headed upstairs.

"I like her." Clara whispered to Fitz as he headed to the kitchen to make Jemma the shortbread he promised. He smiled and kissed the top of her head before moving on.

…

Well, this certainly wasn't what she would have expected.

Jemma was shocked that Fitz's room was in such an untidy state (she imagined it must have been tidy until his mother's condition deteriorated). However, now there was paper all over the place, an unmade bed and the sheer amount of clothes all over the floor was astonishing.

Still, Jemma Simmons loved a challenge.

It made sense to tidy the clothes first; they probably needed washing and as they were taking up so much space she could deal with them quickly and make it look like she had made significant progress in a short amount of time; it was the kind of reassurance she needed when taking on the mammoth task of tidying Leo Fitz's room.

"Sorry about the sheer amount of crap." Fitz said, making Jemma jump.

"Jesus Christ, Fitz!"

"Sorry." Fitz laughed.

"Don't sneak up on me like that! You're not a ninja. Or a spy." Jemma stated.

"Noted. I was just wondering if you fancied a cup of tea?" Fitz asked.

"Yes please. You know how I like it, right?" Jemma asked in return.

"Yeah, just like I do. I'll bring it up." Fitz smiled and rushed back downstairs before instantly rushing back up and into his room, where Jemma stood looking at him in amusement.

"And if you happen to come across any boxers-"

"-I'll leave them where they are, Fitz. I know enough about human anatomy to know where they've been. Not touching them with a ten foot pole." Jemma laughed as Fitz's face grew red again.

"…Good. Okay." Fitz whispered before rushing out again.

 _I didn't realise just how easy it is to embarrass him. It's kind of sweet._

Hang on. Fitz? Sweet?

 _My brain must be faulty today._

…

Jemma took the last swig of her tea as she continued with her quest of tidying Fitz's room, and was thankfully making progress. After sorting away all his papers into folders and tidying them away, Jemma was interrupted by her phone ringing.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Jem." Skye's voice answered on the other end of the phone.

"Hi, Skye. What's up?" Jemma inquired.

"Well, I just came to your house to get you to hang out with us but no one's in. Where are you?" Skye asked.

"Fitz's house." Jemma answered casually, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

"WHAT?! FITZ'S HOUSE?"

"Yes, why?"

"Jem, I think you're taking the term 'sleeping with the enemy' a bit too far here!" Skye exclaimed.

"No, no! Skye! Fitz and I aren't…we're not…doing _that_. I'm just helping him out." Jemma said.

"I bet you are.

"Skye, stop it. Look, he just needed some help cleaning his house and because I'm a nice person I offered my services. Plus, he's baking me shortbread in return." Jemma explained.

"Okay…but why does he need help cleaning his house in the first place?" Skye questioned.

"None of your business, I'm afraid."

"Fine. I just didn't realise that you and Fitz were friends now. You've never mentioned much of it." Skye said.

"We're not friends; we're just…no longer enemies. It happened quite suddenly, and I can't really pinpoint _when_ it happened." Jemma revealed.

"I see. Sounds like you're friends to me. People can change, remember? I thought you were a proper nerd when we first met and now you're my best friend." Skye said.

"Skye, as ever your charm knows no bounds." Jemma said, rolling her eyes. Skye laughed.

"What's so funny?" Jemma added.

"That's what Fitz says to me whenever we speak. He's rubbing off on you, Jem." Skye teased.

"Shut up. Okay, fine…Fitz and I are friends. Okay?"

"Okay, Jem. I'll let you get back to it. See you soon." Skye said.

"Bye, Skye." Jemma smiled as she hung up and saw Fitz standing at the doorway again.

"Fitz!" Jemma exclaimed.

"Sorry. Again. I didn't want to interrupt. Mum's asleep so I thought I could lend a hand up here." Fitz said.

"Oh, I see. That would be great; you can move your boxers then." Jemma smiled.

"Grand job." Fitz chuckled.

After a few minutes of silently tidying together, Fitz took a leap.

"Simmons?"

"Fitz?"

"…On the phone you…you said that…you said we were friends." Fitz noted.

Jemma struggled for breath for a moment.

"Oh, yes. I did." She confirmed.

"…Did you mean that?" Fitz asked.

"…Well, of course I did. We're not at each other's throats anymore. We get along. Don't we?" Jemma asked, worried.

"Yeah, yeah, of course we do! Um…you're my friend too. Only a friend would do all of this for me." Fitz said.

"…Good." Jemma smiled, looking down at the floor. Fitz did the same.

"Yep."

"Well, if we're being honest, I only helped you out and tried to get the truth out of you because I felt guilty. Guilty for not understanding that you're not a bad person, it's just that a bad life turned you cruel. It was a case of bad timing." Jemma admitted, sitting on Fitz's bed. Fitz sat next to her.

"You couldn't have known, Simmons. Barely anyone does. I don't blame you. I couldn't blame you." Fitz said.

"I know, but the only person that can never forgive me is _me_. I don't know if I've ever said it, but…I'm sorry, Fitz. For everything I may have said or done to offend or hurt you." Jemma said softly.

"I'm sorry too, Simmons. For exactly the same. You never deserved any of it." Fitz said, looking down at the floor with an expression on his face Jemma read as shame.

Tentatively, Jemma reached out and gently placed her hand on top of Fitz's. They both looked at each other for a brief moment and smiled before Jemma got up and inspected the little mess remaining.

"So, do I call you Leo now?" Jemma asked as Fitz stood up.

"I…don't know. Do I call you Jemma? Normally people don't call their friends by their surnames." Fitz said.

"Well, you do. With Mack." Jemma said.

"…Good point. Well, how about we stay as Fitz and Simmons and we'll see if it changes? Play it by here?" Fitz suggested.

"Good idea. Well, how about I finish up here and you make sure you haven't burnt my shortbread?" Jemma said and Fitz chuckled.

"Okay." He agreed as he headed out.

"Fitz?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad we're friends."

"…Me too." Fitz smiled and walked back downstairs.

A year ago, if Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons had been told they'd become friends they would have laughed and said it was the most unlikely event in all of creation.

Now, however, it only seemed to make sense.


	11. Chapter 11

It was the last week before the Christmas holidays, and Jemma and Fitz chuckled together in class as Mrs Henderson approached them.

"I just wanted to say again how impressed I was with your report. It was exceptional, and so deserving of the highest grade. You two must make quite the team." She said.

"I guess so." Jemma smiled at Fitz briefly, who shrugged playfully.

"Well, I just wanted to say well done." Mrs Henderson smiled and returned to the front of class to continue marking as the class got on with their work.

"Well, we aced it." Fitz chuckled.

"We certainly did. A wonderful way to end our first term at college. I'm so excited for Christmas; it's my favourite time of year." Jemma said.

"Mine too. It was always the one day of the year my mum and dad never minded being woken up super early." Fitz explained.

"Got any plans for Christmas Day?" Jemma wondered.

"All we can really do is have a quiet day in now. I try my best to cook Christmas dinner, but we just relax. Mum gives me money to buy myself a present from her and we have a good time. And watch the Doctor Who Christmas special, of course." Fitz explained.

"Oh, of course. I have to say, I do admire how you handle things with your mum. You're a lot stronger than you let on." Jemma said.

"Oh, thanks." Fitz blushed. After a moment of awkward silence, Jemma spoke again.

"I, uh…I'm having some friends over on Friday, just a little Christmas gathering thing to celebrate the end of term. I'd like it if you could come? If you want to."

"Oh, I don't know. I wouldn't know anyone really; Skye and I have never got on. They all think I'm weird and evil." Fitz said.

"You are." Jemma smiled. Fitz chuckled and playfully knocked her.

"You know what I mean."

"Look, you could bring Mick if you wanted to. And I promise I'd get everyone to behave; Skye's kind of warmed up to you since we started getting along. I've said some very nice things. I'd like you to be there. Please?" Jemma asked, her hazel eyes speaking to Fitz's soul.

"…Uh, I…well, Karen will be there for mum on Friday evening so…I guess I could come over…for a bit." Fitz smiled. Jemma beamed.

"Fantastic! I was thinking anytime around 7pm would be grand." Jemma said.

"Oh, _grand_." Fitz teased, mocking her accent.

"Don't start the accent war again, Fitz. I don't want to have to uninvite you." Jemma chuckled.

"Okay, okay. Seriously, though…thanks. For being so nice." Fitz smiled.

"I try from time to time."

…

That Friday evening, Fitz and Mack walked up to Jemma's front door. Fitz had a large carrier bag in his hand, while Mack simply carried a six-pack of beers (for himself).

"Turbo, it's freezing out here and I can still tell you're shaking out of nerves. It's gonna be fine." Mack stated.

"I know, I just…there'll be people there that think I'm this huge unlikable weirdo dork boy." Fitz said as Mack knocked on the door.

"Change their mind then. Plus, you've got a huge, handsome bodyguard on your side." Mack grinned as Jemma opened the door to them with a smile.

"You came! Come on in guys!" Jemma exclaimed as Fitz and Mack walked in, taking off their coats and hanging them up on the wall.

"Thanks for having us over. It's good to get this one out socialising every now and again." Mack laughed, nudging Fitz, who turned red and looked down at the floor.

"It's no problem; Skye and Bobbi have already had a bit to drink so they should be bearable at least. Just try and smile every once in a while, okay Fitz?" Jemma teased as she placed a paper hat from a Christmas cracker on Fitz's head, causing Mack to laugh loudly.

"I hate you." Fitz said as he walked past Jemma and into the living room.

"Hate you too." Jemma smiled after him. He turned back and smiled at her as she walked into the kitchen.

…

"Fiiiiiittzzzzzz…"

"Yes, Skye?" Fitz asked with a comfortable smile. Drunk Skye was extremely easy to get along with.

"Do you wear contacts or are your eyes just that blue?" Skye asked. Bobbi gasped.

"Oh my god, Skye, you can't just ask someone if their eyes are blue!"

"It's okay. I, uh, I don't wear contacts, no. These are just my eyes." Fitz said as Mack giggled, having drunk a lot himself by this point.

"Awesome." Skye said with a burp as Mack's laughter grew louder.

"I'm gonna see if Simmons needs any help." Fitz said, getting up, grabbing his bag and walking into the kitchen.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS!" Bobbi squealed as the room filled with drunken laughter.

…

"Hey." Fitz said as he opened the kitchen door and saw Jemma preparing food for everyone.

"Hi. Not too much for you is it? They can be a handful, those two." Jemma said.

"No, they're actually quite pleasant. Mack seems to be enjoying himself too; I'm having a good time. Just wanted to see if you needed any help." Fitz explained.

"I'm fine, thank you. What's in the bag? You've been clutching it like it's made of gold all night." Jemma noted, causing Fitz to grow nervous.

"It's, um…it's a Christmas present. For you."

Jemma paused for a moment then turned to face Fitz quickly.

"Really?"

"Well, yeah. Just to thank you for everything, really, and to truly bury the hatchet between us. Fresh start and all." Fitz revealed.

"You didn't have to do that." Jemma said, touched.

"I wanted to."

"That's very sweet of you, Fitz. Who'd have thought I'd ever say that?" Jemma chuckled.

"Literally no one." Fitz chuckled, taking the gift out of the bag and handing it tentatively to Jemma.

"Can I open it now?" Jemma asked.

"Sure." Fitz smiled, and Jemma carefully unwrapped the present, folding up the wrapping paper neatly to use again. Fitz chuckled at that; he did exactly the same thing.

The wrapping paper revealed a velvet box; Jemma blushed slightly as she opened it to reveal a necklace, a silver chain with a rose on the end, complete with a golden stem and silver petals.

"Wow." Jemma whispered as she inspected the necklace further.

"You like it? I had it made. When I came before I saw your wallpaper and notebooks all had roses on them so I assumed you liked them." Fitz explained as Jemma's eyes remained fixated on the gift.

"Fitz, it's…it's beautiful. I love it, but it must have been so expens-"

"-I have my methods, Simmons." Fitz smiled nervously.

"Thank you, Fitz. It's amazing." Jemma said, instinctively pulling Fitz into a tight hug.

 _Well, this is new._

After a moment of hesitation, Fitz wrapped his arms around Jemma to complete the hug, who had a huge smile on her face.

 _He smells nice._

"Well, now that's going to make this look tacky." Jemma said, parting from Fitz and picking up a small present for the counter and handing it to him. Fitz smiled.

"You didn't have to get _me_ anything."

"I always get my friends Christmas presents." Jemma grinned as Fitz unwrapped the gift to reveal a leather wallet.

"Whenever you came over there was change falling out your pockets all the time; I guessed you might need one. It's nothing compared to what you got me, but-"

"-Simmons, it's great. I really did need one. Thank you." Fitz said meaningfully.

"Good." Jemma nodded.

"Merry Christmas, Simmons."

"Merry Christmas, Fitz."

…

Jemma and Mack sat amusedly in the corner of the room at the others on the sofa; Fitz sat in the middle with Skye and Bobbi on either side, all of them giggling furiously.

"They're really getting along. I didn't even see Fitz drink anything, but he seems a bit tipsy." Jemma noted.

"I may have been slipping some alcohol into his drinks all night. My efforts are paying off; he's had it tough, it's good seeing him smile." Mack explained.

"I much prefer it to the grumpy Fitz. We don't have a good history." Jemma smiled.

"No, you do not. I'm glad you two have gotten past it though." Mack said.

"Me too." Jemma nodded, her fingertips rubbing her rose necklace that was now around her neck.

"Thanks, by the way. For helping him as much as you have. I think he's needed someone like you for years, and it's nice he finally has it. You make him better. He can forget about things for a while. It's nice to hear him say nice things about you all day every day instead of how it used to be." Mack said, growing seriously.

"Well, he deserves a break after everything with his mum. He's gonna need lots of support if she's deteriorating like she is. I just wish I'd have been there for him sooner; if we hadn't wasted years fighting needlessly." Jemma said regretfully.

"You're on his side now. That's all the matters." Mack clarified.

"THIS GUY…IS AWESOME!" Skye shouted, her arm around Fitz and her finger pointing at his chuckling face as she grinned at Jemma.

"He's something alright." Jemma whispered, looking down at her necklace.

…

Skye and Bobbi were fast asleep on the sofa early the following morning. Mack had left an hour earlier and now Fitz had decided he needed to get back to his mum and check she'd gotten to sleep without a hitch. Jemma laughed as he spent seven minutes trying to put his shoes on and work out where the door handle was. Eventually, he opened the door and stepped out into the fresh air.

"Simmons, I'm drunk." He giggled.

"I think you are." Jemma laughed.

"I've had fun."

"Good. I'll be sure to tell my parents that when they come home from their weekend away and wonder why the house is such a mess." Jemma smiled.

"Okay, good. Well, thank you for the wallet and everything and stars are pretty, huh?" Fitz asked, looking up at the sky, distracted by the beautiful sight above him.

"They really are." Jemma smiled, looking up at the clear night sky. Fitz laughed to himself again as he turned to face Jemma.

"Goodnight, Simmons." He mumbled, leaning forward and kissing her briefly on the cheek, taking her by surprise. He didn't seem to register that he'd done it, but gave two big thumbs up and a dorky grin.

"Oh…goodnight Fitz." Jemma said, hoping the cold air was keeping the redness of her cheeks at bay.

"You know what I want for Christmas? A monkey." Fitz stated before completely missing the step and rolling down the short staircase and onto the floor.

"Fitz, are you okay?" Jemma asked, genuinely concerned as she rushed down to help him up. Fitz simply continued giggling.

"Simmons, I'm bruised."

"Well, you'll live, hopefully. Goodnight. Merry Christmas."

"And a New Happy Year. Wait, I got my words jumbled." Fitz chuckled.

"I'm not letting you walk home on your own like this. I'm phoning you a taxi." Jemma said, getting out her phone.

"Mmm'kay." Fitz mumbled, sitting on the bottom step of the staircase. Jemma sat down next to him and made the call. After hanging up, she noticed Fitz was staring at her and smiling.

"What?"

"I'm very glad you're my friend." Fitz smiled.

"I'm glad I'm your friend too, Fitz. And that you're mine."

"I'm yours? Okay." Fitz chuckled.

"No, I meant…never mind." Jemma shrugged with a laugh.

"She's very smart, isn't she?" Fitz asked, distracted by the stars again.

"Who?"

"Jemma. Simmons."

"Fitz, I'm Jemma."

"Smarter than me. But don't tell her I told you that. I'm gonna make it up to her; everything I ever did wrong to upset her. But don't tell her that either. Promise?" Fitz said.

"…Promise." Jemma laughed, shaking her head with amusement.

Jemma and Fitz stared at the stars in silence for ten more minutes until Fitz's taxi arrived. She helped him into the vehicle, instructed and paid the driver and waved him off. Her hand found her necklace again and stroked the rose gently as she headed back inside with a smile.


	12. Chapter 12

"Mum, I'm off to college. First day back! See you later!" Fitz shouted.

No reply.

Fitz (correctly) assumed his mother was asleep, so simply opened the door and walked out with a smile on his face. He loved the feeling of looking forward to going to college again. While he's enjoyed Christmas and New Year to an extent, it had been absolutely hectic.

He didn't want to think about how much worse his mother's condition had gotten. He just wanted, needed, one day without any negative thoughts. It'd been years since he'd had one. Normally he would have negative thoughts about Jemma Simmons, but that wasn't the case anymore. Quite the opposite; she was his friend now. His FRIEND!

They'd texted each other a lot over the holidays (mostly about Doctor Who) and were both glad to be able to share their interests with someone equally as passionate about them. He had started using the wallet Jemma bought him, and she wore the necklace he got her every day.

A New Year, a new start. Who knows what might happen?

…

"…and he completely agreed with me. I mean, it's become an overused deus ex machina and slightly tainted what was otherwise an excellent Christmas special." Jemma said as she and Skye entered the main college entrance to start a new term.

"Jem, you know the best thing about you talking to Fitz about Doctor Who?" Skye asked.

"What?"

"You don't have to talk to _me_ about it. Please stop." Skye sighed.

"I was just making conversation."

"Well please, anything but that. Geek out with Fitz but leave me out of it." Skye said.

"Fine, I just enjoy sharing my interests with my friends." Jemma stated.

"Your interests are boring." Skye chuckled as Jemma's phone buzzed; she smiled as she opened a text message.

"Let me guess; Fitz is waiting for you outside Mrs Henderson's class." Skye guessed.

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"I've got you two nailed, I'm telling you. Two predictable dorks. But I love you and Fitz is…actually pretty okay. He's stopped insulting me but I don't know if that should scare me." Skye said.

"He's changed his ways, Skye. That's all."

"I know, you keep saying that but I need more deets! Why did you two start getting along all of a sudden?" Skye asked.

"He'll tell you if he ever wants to; it's not my place. I'll see you at lunch." Jemma smiled, teasingly patting Skye's head like a pet dog and walking off.

…

"Hey!" Jemma exclaimed as she approached Fitz, who was stood outside the classroom door with a smile on his face.

"Hi! You're wearing the necklace!"

"Yeah, I told you I loved it! Ready for a new term?" Jemma asked.

"You bet. It's sad, but I'm glad to be back. Christmas and New Year were great if stressful." Fitz explained.

"I can imagine. How is your mum doing?"

"She's…okay." Fitz said solemnly.

…

"Okay guys, you'll need to work in pairs for today's lesson, and this time I'll let you choose your partners." Mrs Henderson explained.

Jemma and Fitz looked at each other and smiled.

…

"Well, we destroyed the rest of the class in that quiz." Fitz chuckled as everyone exited the classroom and headed down the corridor.

"I know, it was quite a beautiful moment." Jemma agreed with a short laugh.

"Are you meeting Skye for lunch?" Fitz asked.

"No, I was but she's doing homework in the library; she's super behind."

"On what subject?"

"All of them." Jemma smiled.

"…I won't say anything." Fitz grinned.

"She'll appreciate that." Jemma chuckled.

"I'm glad."

"…So, I'm free for lunch if you want to grab something in the cafeteria?" Jemma suggested.

"Oh. Yeah, sure." Fitz smiled.

"I promise not to poison your food. It's a cheap way of offing my nemesis." Jemma teased.

"Just when I thought we were friends." Fitz smiled, mockingly shaking his head.

"I'll always hate you really, Fitz." Jemma chuckled.

"Hate you too, Simmons."

…

"Did you do the homework for Mr Leeson?" Fitz asked, taking a bite of a sandwich with a look of glee in his face.

"Yeah, the last question was pretty tough but the rest of it was fine." Jemma answered.

"Yeah, me too." Fitz agreed.

"Hey, I really like your shirt." Jemma noted, looking at the navy blue and light blue tartan shirt Leo was wearing. Fitz went a slight shade of red and laughed.

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's nice. Suits you. Just thought I'd be nice. Not weird or anything." Jemma said, almost regretting her compliment.

"Oh, yeah. Sure. Uh, thanks. I like your necklace, where did you get it?" Fitz asked with a cheeky grin. Jemma laughed.

"Oh, just this guy. No one important."

"I don't know, he seems to have good taste. Bet he's handsome, too." Fitz grinned.

"If he looked like Tom Hardy then yes, he would be handsome." Jemma chuckled.

"Oh, shush." Fitz laughed as Jemma had a bite from her bowl of pasta.

At that moment, Fitz saw a group of people, former classmates from school, staring at him and Jemma with expressions of pure confusion on their face. Jemma picked up on Fitz's expression and faced the others herself, causing them all to look away.

"What's their problem?" Jemma asked.

"They went to school with us; probably wondering how we can possibly be talking to each other without using insults and actually be getting along." Fitz explained.

"Well, that's really none of their business. They can judge me all they like; I know my value, and my opinion is the only one that counts." Jemma said with conviction.

"Wow, I wish I had that kind of confidence."

"Who's to say you don't, deep down inside?"

"That's what happens when your dad leaves you, I guess." Fitz said sadly, finishing his sandwich.

"Don't put yourself through that, Fitz. You don't deserve that sort of blame, that's all on your father." Jemma said meaningfully.

"I suppose. But he was an amazing dad up till that day; all the amazing things he did for me." Fitz said.

"Yes, I'm sure he was, but when you needed a father more than ever, he left you." Jemma retaliated.

"…I wish he was still here. She's getting so much worse, it's only a matter of time before she has to…I have to ensure she's comfortable. I just want her to stay with me for as long as possible before thinking about a home." Fitz explained.

"That's because you're a good and thoughtful son." Jemma noted. Fitz smiled.

"…You know, I still don't understand how you can be so nice to me."

"Fitz, we don't need to keep going over this. Clearly I am just a truly angelic person." Jemma joked and Fitz laughed.

"I don't know about that."

"How so?"

"When you got angry, you got ANGRY. It was actually pretty terrifying. I had nightmares." Fitz admitted with a grin.

"Good." Jemma laughed.

"I'm glad that's in the past though, Simmons. Really." Fitz said.

"Me too." Jemma smiled.

…

Jemma _cackled_ as she and Fitz walked down the corridor towards Mr Leeson's lesson following Fitz showing her his impression of their teacher.

"That was spot on!" Jemma laughed, wiping tears from her eyes.

"I've been working on it for a while." Fitz grinned, pleased with Jemma's reaction.

They reached the doorway of the classroom and walked in at the same time, causing them to be stuck in the door. They moved apart with a chuckle and looked at one another for a moment too long.

"Oh, uh…after you." Fitz said.

"…Thanks." Jemma whispered, taking her eyes off Fitz and walking in.

Fitz spent a few seconds of confusion looking at Jemma before following her in.


	13. Chapter 13

"Leo, the door!"

"That'll be Simmons, mum. I said she was coming over, remember?" Fitz said as he rushed to the door, unconsciously looking at himself in the mirror as he walked down the hallway.

"Did you? Are you sure?"

Fitz's smile grew wider as he opened the door and saw Jemma was wearing the necklace he'd bought her. She'd worn it every day since, yet it still gave him a sense of joy to see her in it.

"Hey." He said happily.

"Hello, ready to study?" Jemma asked as she walked in.

"Always, Simmons." Fitz grinned and Jemma laughed as they walked into the living room, where Clara was sat in her chair like always.

"Hello again, Mrs Fitz!" Jemma smiled cheerfully as Clara's face lit up.

"Hello, stranger! It's been a while, hasn't it?" Clara asked.

"I was over two days ago, Mrs Fitz? Remember?" Jemma said.

"Oh…no."

"Well, I wasn't here for very long, maybe you just didn't see me." Jemma said softly, restoring the grin on Clara's face. She turned to face Fitz and smiled at him, and he gave an appreciative smile back.

…

"I honestly don't know how you learn it all so quickly, Fitz; it takes me much longer to soak it all in." Jemma said as she sat on Fitz's bed. His room had been kept much tidier since she'd helped him clean the house.

"I have this book with loads of great techniques in; it really works. Besides, you still learn it all eventually." Fitz said, finishing making notes on one chapter of a huge engineering textbook.

"I'd still like to be quicker, though. Would you mind if I borrowed it?" Jemma asked.

"Of course not." Fitz said, rushing to his bookshelf, locating the book and handing it to Jemma with a smile.

"Thank you, Fitz."

"You're welcome, Simmons. Now, I suggest we take a break. We've been studying for two hours. And when I say break, I mean we have the rest of the day off. We know all this already."

"I don't know, Fitz…"

"Come on, Simmons! You know that book backwards; you always ace the tests anyway because you're brilliant. Let's just get away from the stress for a while." Fitz said. Jemma sat straight up and blushed slightly.

"You, uh…you really think I'm brilliant?"

 _Did I say that? I did say that. Wonderful._

"Oh, well…yeah. I've never disputed the fact that you're brilliant, it was just that I hated you." Fitz said shyly.

"Charming. Well, you're brilliant too, Fitz. I suppose. Even if you are an idiot. A brilliant idiot." Jemma chuckled.

"A brilliant idiot who drew on all your student council posters in school." Fitz teased. Jemma stood up instantly and faced Fitz, who was sat at his desk.

"That was YOU?"

"…Maybe. I'm sorry." Fitz chuckled.

"You don't sound it!" Jemma said playfully.

"Well, I am. Seriously. I've felt bad about that for ages." Fitz admitted.

"Well, apology accepted. And I suppose, if we're confessing things…" Jemma began. Fitz swivelled his chair to face her.

"Simmons?"

"I was the one who put the PVA glue on your chair in Year Nine." Jemma cringed.

"I thought that was Gordon!" Fitz exclaimed.

"No; he took the blame because he fancied me." Jemma smiled.

"Must be blind, that one." Fitz teased.

"Oh, shush. I hate you."

"Hate you too."

"Well, it's your turn to confess. Anything else I should know?" Jemma asked. Fitz took a moment to think then chuckled.

"Oh no, what now?" Jemma asked, concerned.

"…It was me who tore out five pages in your copy of 'The Magician's Nephew'."

"Fitz! That was my absolute favourite book! Still is, though I never did get a replacement copy!" Jemma said.

"I'm sorry, I'm a terrible person."

"You are. Hideous." Jemma grinned. Fitz grinned back then saw Jemma's eyes widen for a moment.

"You just thought of something else, didn't you?"

"Maybe.

"Confess your sins, Simmons."

"Okay, this really was very mean of me and I'm very sorry for it, I am. I felt sorry even when I did genuinely hate you to my very core." Jemma said cautiously.

"What?"

"I was the one who punctured your bike tire in Year Eleven which resulted in you crashing into the side of the school." Jemma said, her hands covering her face.

"Jemma Simmons! You monster!"

"I know, I'm so sorry!"

"I broke my arm because of that crash! Bloody painful, that was! When I came back with a cast on people started calling me Crash Bandicoot. I hated that nickname, and it stuck all year!" Fitz said.

"I know, I came up with it." Jemma said, bursting into laughter.

"WHAT?"

"I'M SORRY, FITZ! THIS IS REMORSEFUL LAUGHTER, I SWEAR!"

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh away…Twinkle Ears." Fitz whispered. Jemma stopped dead.

"…You didn't?"

"I did."

"YOU started that?"

"Perhaps." Fitz laughed.

His laughter was cut short by a pillow to the face. Her laughter was cut short when his nose started bleeding.

…

"I'm sorry, that was so childish of me." Jemma said as she continued gently dabbing Fitz's nose and face with tissue after tissue.

"It's okay, Simmons. You've apologised fifty times already."

"How do you possibly still have blood left in your body?" Jemma asked.

"How can a human physically throw a pillow that hard?"

"Shut up, Fitz, or I'll do it again." Jemma giggled.

Eventually, the bleeding stopped and Jemma wiped the remaining blood off of Fitz's face, sat on a chair in front of him as he sat on the end of his bed.

"There. All stopped now." Jemma smiled.

"Cool. Uh, thanks." Fitz said.

"No problem." Jemma replied.

Silence for a moment.

 _Surely those must be contacts? Eyes can't be that blue._

 _I never noticed just how curled her lips get when she smiles._

"Oh, no! You've got blood on your shirt. I'm sorry!" Jemma said.

"Don't worry, Simmons, it's fine."

"It'll stain, Fitz! You need to wash it now!"

"Okay, okay."

"Take it off and I'll put it in the washing for you." Jemma said.

"…Take it off? Now?"

"Well, unless you want to go in with it?" Jemma asked.

"Oh, no. I just, uh…okay. Well, do you mind…?" Fitz began. Jemma caught on to his meaning and blushed.

"Oh, right! Yes. Sorry, I'll just….yeah." Jemma said, turning around in the other direction as Fitz pulled off his shirt and quickly put on another one.

"Okay." Fitz said, and Jemma turned back. They shared an awkward smile before heading downstairs.

…

"If it doesn't come out, I'll buy you a new one." Jemma said as she and Fitz watched the washing machine spin round and round.

"Don't worry about it, honestly." Fitz said.

"But it was my fault."

"I don't mind, really. It was nice to see you be happy and comfortable around me." Fitz admitted.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I guess I was never sure if you were just hanging out with me because you felt guilty or not." Fitz said.

"Fitz, that's nonsense. I hang out with you because you're my friend and I have fun with you, which couldn't have been said half a year ago. I wouldn't willingly waste my time with you if I didn't like you, now would I?" Jemma asked.

"…I guess not."

"That aside, I hate you. I like you and I hate you." Jemma smiled.

"I like you and I hate you." Fitz returned.

"Leo, is dinner anytime soon?" Clara asked from the living room.

"Of course, mum; I'll put something on now. Do you, uh, do you wanna stay for dinner?" Fitz asked.

"I'd like that." Jemma smiled. Fitz smiled too.

…

Jemma walked through her front door and into the living room later that day, where her parents were sat watching TV.

"Have fun at Leo's?"

"Yeah, it was great. We studied for a bit and I stayed for dinner." Jemma explained.

"Can he cook?" Jemma's mother asked.

"I was quite surprised, but yes. He's very good. Doesn't give himself any credit, mind. He's very modest."

"Good cook, eh?" Jemma's father teased.

"Stop it." Jemma warned.

"Okay, okay."

"He gave me a book to read on tips for studying, too. It's in her somewhere." Jemma said, ruffling through her bag.

She pulled out the book with a smile, then realised there was another book in her bag. Taking it out, she saw what it was and grinned.

'The Magician's Nephew'.

"What book's that?" Jemma's father asked.

"Nothing." Jemma said softly, laughing to herself with a huge smile. Opening the front cover, she saw a post-it note inside.

' _I like you and I hate you. Enjoy.'_

Her smile grew wider.


	14. Chapter 14

"…and that was when Gary just went 'who put oil in my flask?'. Man, it was HILARIOUS. We were all laughing for hours." Mack chuckled as he and Fitz hung out in Fitz's room. He looked over to Fitz, who was sat staring at his phone with a grin on his phone.

"Fitz? Are you even listening to me?"

"Sounds fun."

"You aren't, are you?"

Fitz remained staring at his phone.

"Oh, Jemma's here!" Mack said, looking out the window.

"But she's away this weekend?" Fitz said, standing up and rushing to the window; Jemma was nowhere in sight. He looked to Mack who had his eyebrows raised.

"Okay, I get your point. I'm sorry. Jemma sent me this video of a very drunken Skye falling over and it's just hilarious." Fitz explained.

"Turbo, I'm happy you've finally got more than one friend but pay attention to me while I'm around, huh? I am the original, after all." Mack said. Fitz nodded.

"You are absolutely right. This is Mack time." Fitz said, placing his phone on his bedside table.

"So, any funny stories from work?" Fitz asked. Mack sighed. Fitz's phone vibrated and temptation filled his eyes.

"Go ahead." Mack said. Fitz smiled and grabbed his phone, laughing again.

"Jemma's gone down to Stonehenge with her parents. She said it's been a rocky trip so far. Get it? Rocky? Stonehenge?" Fitz chuckled.

"Hilarious." Mack smiled at his friend.

"What? You've never looked at me so affectionately before. What is it?" Fitz asked.

"I was just wondering…when did you start calling her Jemma?" Mack wondered.

"Did I?"

"Yep. Several times."

"…I don't know. I'm pretty sure I still call her Simmons when we're in lesson or if we hang out." Fitz noted.

"Interesting. Look at you, making personal connections with people like an actual human being." Mack mocked.

"Shut up. You said a minute ago you were happy for me."

"I am, Turbo, seriously. I like where things are going with you and Jemma." Mack said.

"What does that mean?"

"You know, you two being friends and all. You were both far too clever to be rivals."

"Oh. Right. Of course."

Suddenly, crying was heard from downstairs and a panicked Fitz rushed down, Mack hot on his heels.

…

"Mum, what's wrong?"

"I…I can't remember…I can't remember…where's Leo?"

"It's me, mum. I'm right here."

"WHERE'S LEO?"

…

Leo was drying his eyes in the kitchen when Mack came in, a solemn look on his face.

"She's calmer now; she's gone to sleep again."

"Thanks, Mack. I'm glad she remembered you or this would've been much worse." Fitz said sadly.

"Turbo, she's getting a lot worse. This is happening more often, and she lashed out at Karen again last week and-"

"-I know, Mack, I know. I just don't want to talk about this now."

"That's not gonna stop any of this, Fitz! I'm sorry, man, I truly am, but you need to seriously think about the future. She's not safe here, and neither are you. You need to talk to Karen about finding a home for her where she can be looked after all the time. You're exhausted." Mack said, concerned. Fitz leant against the kitchen side, breathing heavily.

"I blame him. It's his fault." Fitz whispered.

"Who's fault?"

"My dad. He's a coward for leaving us. For leaving her. It's still her, Mack, she's in there. Somewhere. She can't be gone. I need her. I need _someone_."

"Buddy…"

"…Why do they both have to go away?" Fitz choked.

Mack wrapped his arms around his best friend and let him cry it all out.

…

Jemma smiled as she sat reading in an uncomfortable hotel bed and saw Fitz was calling her. She quickly picked up her phone and answered it.

"Hey! Am I glad to hear your voice! What a day."

"What happened?" Fitz asked, lying on his own bed, his head leaning against the wall.

"Well, Stonehenge was wonderful and interesting but then dad befriended this other couple that were there and they spent all day talking about bees and allotments and I just couldn't take it. They even came to lunch with us! I thanked the lord above when we finally came back to the hotel, but this bed is so uncomfortable. I can't wait to come home tomorrow. Can I come over when I get back? I have some homework to finish and there's no one I'd rather do it with." Jemma explained.

"What time will you be back?"

"About 5pm?"

"Yeah, that'll be fine. Great, even."

"What's wrong? Your voice is different." Jemma noted.

"Uh…just a bad day with mum, that's all."

"Oh Fitz, I'm sorry. Here I am rambling on while you-"

"-It's okay, Simmons, really. It's nice to hear about other people's problems sometimes."

"Well, they're hardly problems compared to what you have to deal with." Jemma said.

"…I'm talking to Karen next week about finding a home for her to go to." Fitz said, tears in his eyes.

"…That's an incredibly brave thing to do, Fitz, and that right thing. She'll be safe and happy wherever she goes, I'm sure." Jemma said softly.

"I hope so. Can, uh, can you be there when she comes over? Mack'll be there and that's great but I'd love it if you were there too."

"Consider it done."

"Thanks, Simmons. Actually, about that…do you mind if I call you Jemma?"

"Well, it is my name, so…" Jemma teased with a smile.

"You know what I mean. Calling you Simmons is starting to make you sound like a boring old geography teacher. I mean, you totally are, but-"

"-I hate you."

"Hate you too." Fitz smiled.

"Okay, well since you've had a long day you need some sleep so I'll leave you to it. I'll see you tomorrow then." Jemma said.

"Absolutely, you can help me with a report I'm writing for biology while we're at it."

"Okay, what's it about?"

"It's super interesting; it focuses on bees and allotments."

"I'm hanging up now because that was unnecessary." Jemma said. Fitz laughed at that.

"Well that's just charming." He teased.

"I hate you. And I like you. Though I mostly hate you right now." Jemma chuckled.

"Goodnight, Jemma."

"Goodnight, Fitz. I'll see you soon."

Despite the days they'd had, Jemma and Fitz somehow both managed to go to sleep with smiles on their faces.


	15. Chapter 15

In the week that followed, Fitz (with support from Jemma and Mack) spoke to Karen about a new home for his mother and was given leaflet after leaflet detailing many incredible (but expensive) places she could go and be safe. Fitz felt overcome with guilt over placing Clara in a home, but the guilt was overshadowed by his undying love for her; he knew this was the right thing to do. Being in a place where she could constantly be cared for might just give Clara the chance to live the life she had left, rather than just exist.

At the same time, Fitz gave Jemma permission to tell Skye, Bobbi and everyone about his situation and why he had been so harsh with them over the years.

The first time Fitz saw Skye after Jemma told her the truth he was met with a warm hug.

…

As the taxi pulled up outside Terrigen Recreational Home, Jemma looked out of the window and was impressed by the instant atmosphere; it felt so calm, sophisticated and happy. The previous three places they'd looked around were nice enough, but something felt off about them as if something was missing.

"This looks lovely." Jemma noted to Fitz as they approached the entrance.

"Yeah, it does." Fitz said solemnly.

"Fitz, I understand how hard this must be, but it really is for the best. I'm here every step of the way." Jemma said softly, taking Fitz's hand supportively.

"Thanks, Jemma. Sorry for dragging you all over the place today." Fitz said.

"Don't apologise, Fitz, its fine. Mack had to go to work after the first two places and I was hardly going to let you do this on your own. Look at all the flowers; it's so pretty. I like how purple it all is." Jemma said enthusiastically.

"Purple's mum's favourite colour." Fitz smiled.

"Well there you go." Jemma smiled in return.

…

After a long tour of the facility, the tour guide left Jemma and Fitz at a small table on the patio in the huge garden with complimentary tea and cake. Other residents were sat out in the sun and all hide smiles on their faces.

"Free tea and cake is a win." Fitz smiled. Jemma chuckled.

"I agree. And everyone here seems to be enjoying themselves." Jemma noted.

"Yeah. I, uh…I actually like this place. A lot." Fitz admitted.

"Me too. It's very sophisticated and the staff seem so nice."

"…Do you think mum would like it here?"

"Fitz, this is about what you think."

"Jemma, your opinion matters so much to me. Plus, we both practically share a hive mind." Fitz said and Jemma smiled.

"I think she'd love it here, Fitz. I really do."

"…I think so too. It's just expensive, you know. All of these places are. I mean, there and savings and money from my grandad's will and I can work more hours but…I doubt I could keep this up after a year or so. I mean, we're talking nearly £40,000 a year." Fitz asked, concerned.

"That _is_ a lot, but it's what your mum needs. My mum's friend's dad needed to move into a home and she was told all about how difficult it could be to manage costs. I mean, isn't there a way to get local authorities or the NHS to help pay, isn't that a thing?" Jemma wondered.

"Yeah, I don't know if I qualify for any of that, though. Karen's gonna help me look into it." Fitz said.

"Well, I've got my fair share of inheritance if you ever struggle so-"

"-Jemma, I could never ask you to do that; that's not an option. You've done more than enough to help me."

"…I just want to make sure you don't have to worry about this." Jemma said.

"Jemma, I'm always gonna worry about this. No matter what."

"…Where are you gonna stay when, you know…?"

"With Mack and his parents. They said they owe me for getting Mack through school." Fitz smiled slightly.

"That's very kind of them." Jemma said.

"I know. I'd forgotten how people could just come into your life and in a flash become so important that you'd never want to lose sight of them."

Fitz looked into Jemma's eyes and smiled.

"That happens, apparently." He said softly.

Jemma smiled at him, placing her hand on his across the table.

"I know."

…

"Thank you so much for looking round the facility; hopefully we'll hear from you soon. I understand the struggle this must be, but we can promise to do everything in our power to help you and your mother." The tour guide smiled as she guided Jemma and Fitz out of the main entrance.

"Thanks for having us." Fitz smiled.

"You're very welcome. Go home and get some rest; clear your mind. I'm sure your girlfriend would like some relaxation time after such a long day." The tour guide said.

"…Sorry?" Fitz and Jemma asked in unison.

"It was so kind of you to look around with him."

"Oh, no! No! Jemma's, um…we're not…" Fitz began.

"We're friends, that's all. I'm not his…girlfriend. We're not together." Jemma finished.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I must have misinterpreted things, my apologies. Have a good evening." The tour guide said, shaking Fitz and Jemma's hands as they got into the taxi to go home.

"Well that was…can you believe she thought we were…?"

"I know, I know. Madness."

…

A week later, Jemma walked into Mrs Henderson's class ten minutes early; Mrs Henderson was sat writing at her desk and offered Jemma a smile as she walked over to her seat and saw Fitz was already there.

"Morning." She smiled as she sat down.

"Hey. I had a meeting with Terrigen yesterday. Apparently since our household income is less than a fixed amount the local authority pays some of the costs for mum staying there, so it should be a bit easier to manage. Still no picnic, but it's something. I kept saying no to Mack's parents offering to pay some, but they're not taking no for an answer." Fitz explained happily.

"Fitz, that's amazing news! See, letting people in can be a very good thing!" Jemma exclaimed.

"I know; you taught me that." Fitz said. Jemma playfully leaned into him as he lightly chuckled.

"Well, I only regret it about 30% of the time." Fitz teased.

"I hate you."

"Hate you too."

The two laughed together before Mrs Henderson caught their eyes. She was watching them from her desk with a smile on her face.

"Sorry, I just can't believe that just four months ago you were sending me emails complaining about working together and…well, just look at you two now! Amazing how things change." She explained happily.

Jemma and Fitz look at each other and smiled, saying nothing more.

…

"This is the right thing to do, Leo. I'm proud of you. Have you talked things through with Clara?" Karen asked that night as she packed her things up to go home, having just put Clara to bed.

"Yeah; I told her all about it and went through some leaflets with her. She seemed quite excited but then, you know…I'm not sure she remembered." Fitz explained.

"Well, you'll still be able to visit her regularly. It's just much healthier. Plus, selling the house will give you lots of money for funding and to get by on."

"Yeah, will you help me sort that out?" Fitz asked.

"Of course I will."

"…I can't believe I'm gonna leave this place." Fitz said sadly, holding back tears. Karen rushed over and hugged him tight.

"Think of it as leaving behind all your pain. Remember who you're doing this for."

"I know. All this is because I love her so much." Fitz smiled, wiping his tears away.

"Exactly; accepting that you can't care for her alone expresses your love for her in so many ways, Leo. It speaks volumes. After all, she's the one woman you can't live without." Karen said.

Fitz's phone went off and he smiled as Jemma's picture filled his screen.

"There might be two of those, actually." Fitz said quietly as he read Jemma's text panicking about whether they had any homework due or not in the next few days. (They didn't and she knew it; she'd spent a while thinking of a reason to text him).

"You mean that Jemma girl you talk about all day every day?" Karen teased.

"What? I don't. She's helped me so much, that's all. She's been amazing despite our past." Fitz explained.

"Leo, you've brought her up 15 times in the hour I've been here." Karen said.

"Don't exaggerate, Karen; that's once every four minutes." Leo replied.

"I've been keeping a tally." Karen said, showing Leo the back page of her notebook that was full of tally after tally.

"What? When did you? How long have you…?"

"And today was a slow day." Karen smiled.

"Oh, whatever. She's important to me."

"I'm not saying it's a bad thing, Leo. It's quite the opposite. I wish you could see your face when you talk about her." Karen said.

"It's not like that." Fitz argued.

"I'm not gonna start a debate, but look at the highest tally." Karen said, throwing the notebook over to Fitz, who quickly found what Karen was talking about; the day he'd mentioned Jemma 47 times in two hours.

"What day was that then?" Fitz asked, faking disinterest. Karen smiled.

"The day she was away with her parents. Stonehenge, if I remember correctly." Karen replied.

"…So I'm not allowed to miss my friends when they go away?" Fitz asked.

"Of course you are. But I think we both know you're even missing her right now. It's a funny feeling, isn't it? Never wanting to be without someone. I bet even when you were at each other's throats you missed her when she was gone; she brought out the passion in you. You mentioned her just as often back then; only one thing's changed." Karen explained.

"What's that?"

"Now you smile." Karen said softly, waving and walking out.

Fitz watched her go before looking at his phone, seeing a picture of him and Jemma as his screensaver. He didn't even remember changing it yet didn't remember it ever being anything else.

While he thought about it, the tour guide…the way Mrs Henderson, Skye, Mack, Jemma's parents, Clara…the way they'd all looked at them together. She'd only helped him through all of this out of guilt, surely? She'd said differently but…any friend would waste their weekend visiting care homes with him, right? Right?

Well, maybe not, but…he'd hated her at one point! Truly despised her for everything she stood for. He spoke about Jemma all the time because she was interesting and he didn't have many other people to talk about. Anything he did that was interesting, well…Jemma just happened to be there.

Though he'd seen his parents fall out of love; it could work the other way round too.

 _No, that's not what's happening here_. _It's all_ _rubbish; she's just Jemma. Well, not 'just' Jemma. She could never be 'just' Jemma. Not to me._

… _Oh._


	16. Chapter 16

Fitz sat in the college canteen happily devouring a sandwich when he felt a pair of gentle hands on his shoulders.

"Afternoon, my major inconvenience." Jemma smiled as she sat down next to Fitz.

"Hey." Fitz said quietly, returning to his lunch.

"…Are we okay? You didn't really talk to me in class earlier. You seemed a bit distant. I'd forgotten how much I hated that feeling." Jemma asked, concerned.

Panic overtook Fitz as he turned to her, not entirely sure if he was going paler or redder.

"I'm fine, Jemma. Sorry." Fitz said quickly before turning away again.

"…Oh. Is it your mum? Is something wrong?" Jemma asked worriedly.

 _Take the out, Leo!_

"Oh…yeah. It's mum. You know, with her moving into Terrigen in three weeks…"

"I can't begin to understand how hard this must be, Fitz. Just remember, you can tell me anything, okay? _Anything_." Jemma smiled softly, gently rubbing Fitz's arm up and down supportively.

 _If only that were true._

Fitz simply nodded in response.

"Okay…I actually wanted to ask you something." Jemma began.

"Oh…what is it?"

"Well, my parents want you to come over for dinner sometime soon. Ever since they heard about Clara they've wanted to do something for you; I just wanted to find out when you might want to come over? I mean, if you want to. It's a sort of formal thing; we'd be dressed up. Mum gets really into these things when she gets an idea in her head." Jemma explained.

"That's very kind of them, but…I don't know. I want to spend as much time as I can with mum before she moves." Fitz said, hiding the real reason for his concern.

"Oh. Okay. Never mind." Jemma said, the disappointment on her face visible to the blind. Fitz couldn't stand to see that look on her face.

"BUT, um…well…you know, I'm just being stubborn. It's just one night. Karen's only over for an evening tomorrow, though, so we might have to wait-"

"-Tomorrow's fine! Mum's got everything prepared. If you're okay with that?" Jemma said.

"…Sure."

"Great. I'll email you the menu." Jemma said.

"Menu?"

"I told you mum gets into it."

…

Mack had been watching Fitz pace across his room for ten minutes later that day when his impatience got the better of him.

"Turbo, what's going on? You called me here to tell me about an emergency, not to watch you walk a marathon in your bedroom. What's so urgent?"

"Dinner, Mack, dinner!" Fitz exclaimed, sitting at his desk and putting his head in his hands.

"You're the only person I know who's answers to my questions propose yet more questions. Well, you and Simmons." Mack said.

Fitz glared at Mack at the mention of Jemma. Mack clocked the terror in Fitz's eyes.

"So this is about Jemma? You're having dinner with Jemma?" Mack asked excitedly.

"Well…yeah, and her parents. A formal thingy tomorrow. I'm nervous."

"Well you'd be around people, so that's a given." Mack chuckled.

"Mack, please take this seriously!"

"Sorry. What's the problem with dinner with Jemma and her parents? Don't you get along with them?" Mack asked.

"No, I do. A lot, actually; they're great. They're not the problem." Fitz said cautiously, staring at the floor.

"So, Jemma is?" Mack asked. Fitz nodded.

"How?"

Fitz briefly looked at Mack and told him all he needed to. Mack sat up straight on Fitz's bed as his eyes widened.

"Shut. Your. Ass."

"Mack…"

"Has Turbo finally hit puberty?" Mack teased.

"Mack, SERIOUSLY."

"Sorry, I just…wait, just to be absolutely certain. You _like_ Jemma? Your once sworn enemy who you once wrote an essay about titled 'Why I Hate Jemma Simmons'?"

"…Yeah…no…I don't knoooooowwwwww." Fitz groaned, falling onto his bed next to Mack face down. Mack chuckled as he patted Fitz on the back.

"It's okay, buddy. I know you're not good with emotions." Mack said as Fitz sat up and sighed.

"I mean…it never occurred to me. I wasn't even considering it or thinking it and then…wham, there it was. Like a ton of bricks." Fitz said.

"You seriously didn't think you had feelings for her?"

"I don't know if I actually do! There've been moments when I've noticed how pretty her eyes are, or her smile or her laugh, but…but they were observations, that's all! I mean, even when I hated her I recognised she was beautiful; I'm not blind."

"'I recognised you were beautiful'. Dude, you should write poems." Mack chuckled. Fitz thumped his arm but ended up only injuring himself.

"BE SERIOUS."

"Turbo, you've opened up to this girl more than anyone ever. If you were gonna fall for anyone, it would be her. Besides, you're basically one person. A hybrid. Fitzsimmons! That's what I'm calling you both from now on. I'm proud of that one."

"So…you think it's plausible that I have feelings for her? _If_ I do?" Fitz asked.

"Of course. Look, treat tomorrow as a test. See if you can observe if any of your interactions with her could have romantic connotations. See if you see her as just a friend or not. You never know, she might have feelings for you." Mack suggested.

"Please. She has taste." Fitz sighed.

"Hey, don't put yourself down like that."

"I've been doing it too long to stop. Ugh…why is it always complicated with Jemma? Right from day one it's been misunderstanding after misunderstanding." Fitz questioned.

"And tomorrow is your chance to clear all of those up. Look, forget the past. The beef you and Simmons had is dead and buried, long forgotten. Focus on the now. You're friends, possibly more. Don't use what's in the past as a reason to not pursue whatever this could be you're feeling. I'm not saying you definitely like her; I'm not saying you definitely don't. That's up to you to decide." Mack explained. Fitz nodded along, knowing Mack was right.

"When did you get so smart and level headed?" Fitz wondered.

"Learnt from the best."

"Who's that?"

"This Scottish guy that helped me through Maths and practically every subject in school. He's a huge dork, but I wouldn't have him any other way." Mack smiled.

…

The next evening, Fitz stood outside Jemma's house for a few minutes before building up the courage to knock on the door. He was dressed in black trousers and shoes with a dark blue shirt all approved by Mack, yet he was still just a bit petrified.

Even more so when Jemma opened the door with a radiant smile and a beautiful green dress cutting off just above her knees.

"Oh…wow. You look…okay." Fitz gulped.

"Okay? Uh…thanks, Fitz." Jemma said bluntly.

"No, I mean…you…you look lovely. Really." Fitz said awkwardly, hoping the ground would swallow him up.

"Oh. Thank you. You look very handsome yourself." Jemma said with a small smile (and was that a blush?) as she invited Fitz inside.

…

"I must say Leo, I have the utmost respect for you. You're being incredibly brave about all this with your mum; it's inspiring." Jemma's mother said kindly as the group ate at the dinner table. Fitz was so distracted by the delicious food he'd only just caught what she'd said.

"Oh, thank you very much. You're too kind. Especially considering…" Fitz trailed off.

"Considering…?" Jemma's father wondered.

"…Well, it's just…it's not like Jemma and I got off to the best of starts." Fitz said, ashamed.

"But we understand why now, we all do. That's all forgiven and forgotten, Leo." Jemma's father smiled.

"Besides, I had a feeling it wasn't as simple as you two hating each other. Right from the moment you first came over to work on that college project with Jemma I had the impression there was more to it than meets the eye." Jemma's mother stated.

"There's no point in dwelling on it." Jemma said softly, placing her hand over Leo's across the table. He smiled at her as he gently squeezed her hand and tried not to think too much about how soft and perfect her skin was.

Jemma's parents looked at each other, smirked, and said nothing more.

"…I, uh…Jemma was telling me about Stonehenge." Fitz said.

As Jemma's parents burst into a tidal wave of excited mumbles as they talked over one another, Jemma shot Fitz a look that said _why did you do this to us?_

"We met the most _amazing_ couple there…" – "They were incredibly insightful."

"This is hell." Jemma whispered, making Fitz chuckle slightly. He looked at Jemma as she watched her parents drone on in a state of agony and picked up on things he'd noticed about her but never really thought too much about.

Her hair fell on her shoulders so satisfyingly. Her teeth were the purest, prettiest white. No matter how hard she tried, she could never get that one strand of hair to stay out of her eye so she'd have to move it back behind her right ear.

And most of all, she lit up the room.

When exactly had he started to see her in this way? And how long had he been unable to stop seeing her in this way? Fitz only knew two things: he _did_ see her in that way, and he was pretty sure he was okay with that.

…

As Jemma prepared the dessert she'd made in the kitchen, Fitz tried his best to act interested in Jemma's parents telling him about the Stonehenge couple for the twelfth time that evening. He'd had a wonderful time and the food and company was amazing, but he was more interested in seeing how undeniably proud Jemma probably was of her baking. He felt an ache to see her smile again. It had been way too long since he had (in reality, about six minutes).

"…and we're all going fishing in the summer! Anyway, I just want to say before I forget that you've been wonderful company tonight, Leo." Jemma's mother smiled.

"Thank you, you both have too. It was nice to forget my troubles for a while." Fitz grinned.

"When Jemma told us you were coming over for dinner tonight I'll admit I had a bit of a panic but I got things together in the end. I'm glad we did this. I've been saying for a while we wanted you to have dinner with us but it was a pleasant surprise for it to be so soon."

"…Wait…this wasn't your idea?" Fitz asked, confused.

"Jemma came home yesterday and said you were over for dinner, so I suppose it was hers. Why?" Jemma's father enquired.

"…So, did you make the menu Jemma emailed me?" Fitz asked.

"I didn't have the time, dear. Jemma must've made it and sent it to you; she's awfully good with computers. She was pressing me to tell her what we were having yesterday, now I think about it." Jemma's mother answered.

"…I'm just gonna go and see if Jemma needs any help." Fitz said, smiling as he stood up and headed for the kitchen. Jemma's parents watched him go.

"Lovely boy." – "Charming young man."

…

Fitz walked into the kitchen and watched with a smile as Jemma delicately plated up slices of the cheesecake she'd made onto four plates, adding whipped cream on the side.

"Need a hand?" Fitz asked. Jemma turned around and smiled at him.

"Well, if you could help take some of the plates through to the dining room?" Jemma asked and Fitz nodded.

"Thanks, Fitz."

"…Jemma?"

"Yes?"

"I was just speaking to your parents…"

"Well, I would hope so." Jemma chuckled.

"…about how they were surprised when you came home yesterday and told them I was coming over." Fitz finished. Jemma paused and faced him.

"Oh."

"…This was all your idea." Fitz stated.

"…I just…I wanted to take your worries away for a few hours _before_ your mum moved into the home. I wouldn't want you to feel like I was rubbing my parents in your face if we did this after." Jemma explained sadly.

"Jemma, I would never have thought that."

"Well, I just worry about us, that's all. I wouldn't want to risk making you hate me again." Jemma admitted. Fitz walked up to her and took her hands.

"Hey, I will _never_ hate you again. I'm pretty sure that's impossible after all you've done for me." Fitz smiled. Jemma smiled back.

"You're just…you're too important to me to lose. We've gotten so close recently and I feel like I can tell you anything and…you're my best friend, Fitz."

"You're my best friend too, Jemma. Don't tell Mack."

"Don't tell Skye."

The two laughed together before Jemma wrapped her arms around Fitz, initiating a warm hug. The two slotted together like two puzzle pieces, just as the puzzle that was Leo Fitz's heart was being solved at the same time.

 _She gives the greatest hugs. I don't want to let go._

…

After dessert, Jemma and Fitz went up to Jemma's room to watch TV, and Fitz took the opportunity of Jemma going to the toilet to get out his phone and text Mack. It was quite dark from the lights being off, but he managed to overcome it and type.

' _I have feelings for Jemma. It's clear as bloody crystal.'_

Suddenly, the world made sense for Leopold Fitz. If only she felt the same.

…

Later the next day, Mack knocked on Fitz's door and smiled at his friend as the two walked in.

"Okay, okay, let me have it. The teasing's never gonna stop, is it? I'm surprised you never text back." Fitz said, his face going red.

"I was just gonna ask you how last night went, actually. I thought you were gonna text me?" Mack said, confused.

Fitz's heart stopped.

"Please be messing with me right now. I text you last night, Mack." Fitz said adamantly.

"Turbo, I swear you didn't. Did you send something to someone else by mistake?"

"…Oh no. Please, no." Fitz panicked, getting out his phone and looking through his outbox. His face dropped as he went ghostly white.

"Turbo?"

"...Oh bloody hell."


	17. Chapter 17

Fitz sat fidgeting with his fingers in silence as he waited for her to arrive. He'd text her almost immediately after realising his stupid mistake; Mack had gone home to give the two some more privacy. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so nervous.

Then came the knock on the door.

Fitz took a deep breath, stood up and walked to the front door, tentatively turning the handle and guiding it open. He couldn't even look her in the eye.

"'Sup, Lover Boy?"

"Skye, don't do this." Fitz sighed as Skye chuckled and walked through into the living room. Fitz followed her in as she took a seat on the couch, the grin still very much plastered across her face.

"Mum's asleep upstairs, so try to keep it down. And don't bother with the teasing; that text was meant for Mack, it was a mistake." Fitz said, pacing across the room.

"I guessed that much, actually. So, can I be there when you tell Jemma?" Skye asked, leaning forward. Fitz looked at her in shock.

"I'm _not_ telling her, Skye. I'm never telling her. Don't be ridiculous!"

"You _have_ to! Fitz, this is HUGE. You can't just keep something like this to yourself!" Skye argued.

"I can, and I will. And you will too!"

Skye moved her jaw as if to begin an argument.

"No, Skye! It's not happening!"

"But _why_ not? If you have feelings for her she should know!" Skye asked, standing up and clearly frustrated by Fitz's reluctance.

"Because we all know what would happen, that's why! It's taken us years to get to a place where we're friends, and if I told her it would make things a new kind of awkward, she'd reject me and the friendship we've built up would be in tatters. I'm not gonna ruin that for anything." Fitz stated.

"How can you be so sure things would go that way? What if she feels the same?"

"Don't be stupid, Skye."

"You're the one being stupid if you're not gonna tell her!" Skye protested.

"Jemma could have any guy she wants, Skye! Why would she go for a nerdy, socially awkward Scottish bloke with no money and who spent the whole time he'd known her insulting her and making her life a living hell? What could I possibly offer her? It's not even a possibility that she feels the same way. My dad walked out on me and I've got a mum who with each passing day is slowly forgetting that she loves me! So, forgive me for not opting to ensure the only other woman I truly care about leaves me too!" Fitz exclaimed, tears running down his face.

Skye looked at him for a moment, her face almost unreadable.

"Oh, _boo hoo_! We've all got our own problems, Fitz! I've never really known my parents! People come and go in life; it doesn't matter who you are, it happens! And if you think for one second that I'm gonna let you throw away your one chance to be happy during such a sad time -"

"- Don't you dare! Don't you dare compare your situation to mine. I'm sorry you never had that connection, but don't you dare try and convince me that that's worse than having a connection fade away with nothing you can do to save it no matter how hard you try!" Fitz said, completely breaking down.

Skye took another moment then rushed over and hugged him.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I won't tell her."

"I'm so scared, Skye."

"I know, Fitz. It's okay. It's all gonna be okay."

…

Jemma was sat watching TV in her living room when her mother came in and sat down next to her, looking over to her daughter from across the couch every few minutes. Eventually, Jemma picked up on this.

"What's up with you?" Jemma asked.

"Nothing, just thinking."

"About what?"

"About why you told Leo him coming over for dinner was my idea."

"…Let's not do this again, mum." Jemma sighed.

"After you tell me why."

Jemma turned to face her mother directly.

"I…I don't know why, I just…I just felt like he shouldn't know it was my idea. I guess I didn't want him to feel like I pitied him. He hates that." Jemma explained.

"I can see why you didn't study drama at college." Jemma's mother said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jemma asked.

"You know what."

"Look, I don't know why, okay? I genuinely don't know. Do you believe that?" Jemma asked.

"I do, yes. I truly believe you don't know because you haven't taken the time to really think about it because you're scared of what you might uncover. You spend so much time reading a book or watching TV or studying that you don't take nearly enough time to think about yourself. You could go on for hours about how you feel about an Ally Kennen book or a couple you love on one of your TV shows, but you can barely talk to me for five minutes about how you feel in your heart."

"You know feelings don't actually come from your heart. It's your brain that -"

"- Blah, blah, blah, there you go again. Jemma, open up to me!" Jemma's mother exclaimed.

"What about? And why?"

"Because I love you and I'm interested and I think you're holding back! I can tell lots about you from what you _don't_ tell me about. When you and Leo didn't get along you wouldn't shut up about him; when you did you wouldn't shut up about him still. Yet, recently you've been a bit quiet on the Leo front, and I'm thinking that's because you don't know what to say about him because you're confused about him."

"I don't know where you're going with this." Jemma said.

"I think you do, sweetie. Let's play a game, like we did when you were little." Jemma's mother suggested and Jemma sighed.

"Mum, please don't do this!"

"Come on! Okay, what do you like most about Leo?"

Jemma opened her mouth to speak instantly, but her mother signalled her to stay quiet.

"Not yet. _Really_ think about it."

Jemma took a minute.

"…He's inspiring." Jemma answered.

"Why?"

"Because after all he's had to deal with, he's still coming out on top. He's being incredibly brave about everything with his mum; I don't know if I could handle it if it were you in Clara's position." Jemma admitted.

"Okay. Well, good talk honey." Jemma's mother smiled, patting Jemma on the back and heading for the kitchen.

"Wait, is that it?"

"Yeah. I just wanted to get you thinking, is all. Talk to me if you figure anything out."

…

" _Talk to me if you figure anything out."_

As Jemma was lying in her bed, staring up at the ceiling, her mother's words were still stuck in her head.

 _What the hell was that supposed to mean? What should I be figuring out? I'm an incredible student, I'm at the top of all my classes for goodness sake; I don't have anything to figure out! She says I go on about Leo all the time, but I think she talks about him more than me!_

 _Leo._

 _She clearly wants me to think about Leo. But we've been over this so many times; he's just my friend! Well, my best friend. I never ever thought I'd say that about Leo Fitz. I thought we'd never be friends; it was an impossibility! And yet here we are._

Jemma sat up.

 _I get it. Mum thinks that since the 'impossible' transition from Leo and I being enemies to friends means it's not so impossible for a transition from friends to something more. I suppose that does make sense…but that's not the case! Why am I even thinking about this?_

 _And since when has he been Leo? He's Fitz. Sure, he calls you Jemma, so I guess it's not that weird to call him by his first time. Why should I even think that would be weird? It's not weird! Leo. His name's Leo, I can call him Leo! Maybe I should start calling him Leo._

 _Why am I getting so worked up over what to call him? All my other problems, Clara, maintaining friendships, grades, exams…am I seriously spending more time worrying over whether to call him Leo or Fitz? Why am I spending so much time thinking about that? Thinking about him?_

 _I only think about him because I worry about him. I worry about Clara. I worry about Skye. I worry about a lot of things, but Leo has so much to worry about too. Why am I comparing my problems to the huge weight on his shoulders? Poor Leo. He doesn't deserve this pain._

 _Leo again. Why is it that no matter what I always go back to thinking about Leo? It's not like thinking about Leo is my favourite thing to do!_

Jemma fell back into her bed.

 _Thinking about Leo is my favourite thing to do._

 _Oh._

…

Leo was shocked to find Jemma calling him so late, and answered in a hurry.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" He asked, panicked.

"I'm fine, why?"

"Well, it's late. I thought maybe something bad had happened." Fitz said.

"No, nothing like that. I just felt like I hadn't really talked to you today, that's all. I wanted to see how things were with you." Jemma said softly, smiling at Fitz's consideration of her wellbeing.

"Uh, yeah…okay, I guess. Have you spoken to Skye today at all?"

"No, not today."

Fitz breathed a sigh of relief; it looked like she was going to stay true to her word.

"Anyway, I think I need to talk to you about something tomorrow. In person." Jemma said nervously.

"Oh, okay. No problem. Aren't we all going to Bobbi's house party tomorrow night?" Fitz asked. (He detested house parties, but Jemma was going to be there so he loved them now.)

"Oh right, yes! We are." Jemma realised.

"We could talk there if you wanted?" Fitz suggested.

"Absolutely. Good idea." Jemma said.

 _Having alcohol nearby will be great for whichever way the conversation goes._

"Great. So, I'll see you tomorrow then?" Fitz asked.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow Leo." Jemma smiled, hanging up. Fitz had a puzzled look on his face.

 _Hang on. Did she just call me Leo?_

Jemma looked up at her bedroom ceiling again. This was going to be a long night.

 _Tomorrow._


	18. Chapter 18

Bobbi Morse's house parties were something of a legend.

The first had coincided with the end of exams in their final school year, followed by one every Saturday in the summer that followed. Each party had been a blast and Bobbi became the go to girl for any party planning or advice; no one left a Morse house party disappointed (or sober in most cases).

This house party was expected to be exactly the same as the others. Bobbi's parents were away for the weekend and the Morse home was soon to be filled to bursting with friends and fellow students dancing and drinking the night away.

Jemma walked up to Bobbi's door forty five minutes after the party had started; she could hear the laughing and pulsating music from inside from the end of the street. She normally liked to be exactly on time to everything, but she'd spent a good three hours deciding on an outfit and make-up then changing her mind. Nothing seemed to fit exactly right or look exactly right. She wanted to look her best for herself, for everyone at the party, and of course…Fitz. Leo.

She still fully intended to tell him what she'd realised she'd been feeling for him. It was a confusing situation; she hadn't seen him in person since she had considered the possibility of wanting to be more than friends with him, so wasn't entirely sure what her feelings exactly were. Maybe this was just how it felt becoming friends with someone you used to hate? Maybe it was all just false feelings? Jemma knew the second she saw him she'd know how she felt, so was both excited and petrified to lock eyes with him at the party.

Taking a moment to gather herself, Jemma loudly knocked on the door to be heard over the music and soon enough Bobbi opened the door to her with a smile, instantly pulling her into a hug.

"Jemma! You're here! You look gorgeous!" Bobbi exclaimed as she guided Jemma inside and closed the door. Jemma was surprised that, despite the huge amount of people (mostly strangers) dancing around, the place didn't look like a bomb site. Still, the night was young.

"Drinks are in the kitchen, and last I saw Skye was making out with Lincoln upstairs. She also threw up in the toilet, but I can't remember which of those events came first." Bobbi recalled.

"For Lincoln's sake, I hope it wasn't the sick in the toilet thing." Jemma chuckled, making her way upstairs to try and find her friend. As it happened, Skye was sitting on the top step and Jemma joined her with a smile.

"There you are!" Skye smiled.

"Here I am. Having fun?" Jemma asked.

"Yeah, yeah. It's a Bobbi Morse party, what would you expect?" Skye grinned.

"And where's Lincoln?" Jemma said with a smirk.

"I think he went to puke." Skye commented.

"Lovely. So, uh…is…is Leo, uh…Fitz here yet?" Jemma asked, trying to sound casual.

"Nah. He texted Bobbi saying his mum's nurse was running late so he'd get here if it wasn't too late. Dunno if he's gonna show up or not." Skye revealed. Jemma's heart sunk.

"…Oh. I see." Jemma sighed. Skye, even in her drunken state, picked up on the sadness on Jemma's face.

"Come on, Jem, it's not like Fitz is the sole reason for you having fun! He was the exact opposite for years." Skye mumbled.

"I know, I just…I needed to talk to him, that's all. I need to tell him something. At least I think I do." Jemma said.

"Tell him what?" Skye asked, very interested.

"Doesn't matter. It's kind of a big thing that should just be between him and I."

"…What big thing? Is it the kind of big thing I think it might be?" Skye asked. Jemma looked at her, her face giving the game away.

"I think it might be." Jemma said, slightly embarrassed. She was never very good at talking about feelings. Skye looked at Jemma in a state of confusion; now she was in a dilemma.

"Jem, uh…listen, if you promised a friend you wouldn't tell anyone something but then you found out something that meant it would make sense to tell someone else that initial secret you promised not to tell…would you tell them anyway?" Skye asked. Jemma looked at her as if she were insane.

"…What?"

"If I promised someone I wouldn't tell anyone something -"

"-Then you respect that, no matter what the circumstances." Jemma finished. Skye was desperate to argue, but knew she probably shouldn't. At the end of the day, it was Fitz's secret to tell, even if he never wanted to tell it.

"…Fine." Skye sighed.

"Why do you ask that anyway?" Jemma wondered.

"…Hell, I'm drunk." Skye shrugged.

…

A good hour went by and there was no sign of Fitz. Jemma had given up hope that he would be able to get to the party, but was in too sour of a mood to drink anything. She had a very brief dance with Skye, ate two slices of pizza then hid herself away on the balcony upstairs at the back of Bobbi's large house, looking out to many rows of streets with a large field at the end of them. The stars were shining brightly by this point, and Jemma found solace in staring up at them.

Jemma had always found stars so fascinating; by the time anyone on Earth could see the stars they would have already burnt out and died, it was just their light taking so long to reach Earth. Every star Jemma saw was simply her looking at something that had long since vanished. Every time someone looked at a star they saw a legacy. What a beautiful legacy to behold, too.

"Surprise."

Jemma's face lit up at the very recognisable Scottish voice, turning around to see Fitz smiling at her, dressed in black jeans and a dark blue shirt that brought out his eyes. From the moment he stepped out into the balcony, Jemma couldn't have been less interested in the stars.

"I thought you weren't going to come." Jemma said, watching him with a smile as he stood next to her on the balcony, gripping the railings for support.

"When Karen arrived she still told me to come and enjoy myself. Mum did too, actually. I'd forgotten how nice that was; she remembered I was supposed to be going out." Fitz explained.

"That's lovely." Jemma smiled.

"Yeah. Though I only think she remembered because I told her you were gonna be there." Fitz grinned. Jemma chuckled.

"Well, I'd like to think I'm memorable."

"You certainly are. Sorry I didn't text you about it; I didn't want to disappoint you. I mean, if you would have been disappointed if I didn't come, that is." Fitz said.

"Don't worry about it, Leo. I would have been disappointed if you didn't make it."

"There you go again, calling me Leo. When did that start?" Fitz asked.

"I don't know, really. It's okay though, isn't it?" Jemma asked.

"Yeah, yeah. Of course it is. I quite like it, actually. It helps me see the progress we've made, actually. Even now when you call me Fitz I get flashbacks to the hundreds of fights we've had over the years." Fitz admitted. Jemma smiled to herself.

"We have come a long way, haven't we?" Jemma asked.

"Indeed we have. I have a lot to thank you for, you know. I'd probably still just be sitting by letting mum get worse and worse if it weren't for you being a nosey buggar and barging into my house." Fitz teased. Jemma playfully leaned into him, making him chuckle.

"If that's the worst thing I've done to you, then maybe I've been way too hard on myself recently." Jemma said.

"What do you mean?" Fitz wondered.

"I just…ever since I found out about Clara and why you were so off with me on the day we met, I…I don't know. I've just been beating myself up about being so mean to you when I simply just didn't understand what was going on." Jemma admitted sadly.

"Jemma, look at me." Fitz said, taking Jemma's hands. She obeyed not at all reluctantly (she'd take any chance to stare into those beautiful blue eyes).

"Don't you dare feel guilty about any of that. It was my fault and my fault alone. I took it out on you that day and I shouldn't have, and I'm sorry. I'm sorry I was so mean to you and I'm sorry that I took away all those years we could've spent being friends." Fitz said.

"…We're friends now." Jemma smiled, squeezing Fitz's hands a little tighter.

"I'm very happy about that."

"Me too. Now, let's agree to put all of that behind us; not even mention it again. Those versions of us are dead and gone. This is it, right from this moment. This is a clean slate." Jemma proposed. Fitz smiled and nodded.

"I'd like that a lot."

"Good. Right, um…that sort of leads me to what I wanted to talk to you about." Jemma said nervously.

"Oh, yeah. Of course." Fitz said.

Jemma took a deep breath and Fitz started to look worried.

"It's nothing bad, is it?"

"…We'll have to see. Because any minute now I might just spoil everything we've built up since Mrs Henderson paired us up to do that bloody report." Jemma said, practically shaking.

"…Then don't say it. Please." Fitz pleaded.

"…I really didn't know if I was going to until I saw you just now. I have to because if I don't this might eat away at me and I could just push you away further down the line. I have to have faith in you, and I do." Jemma said. Fitz nodded to show his understanding.

"Okay, I can't look at you while I say this, okay?" Jemma said. Fitz nodded again nervously as Jemma turned away from him.

"Jemma -"

"-Leo, please, I…I don't know how I'm gonna say it but just let me try, okay?"

"…Okay."

Jemma took another deep breath. Now or never.

"Right, um…I've been doing a lot of thinking. Thinking about homework and essays and tests and exams and friends and family and the future and Clara and…and you. I can't say exactly when I started thinking about all of this but I think it must have been years. What I'm saying is you've always been on my mind, be it for good or bad reasons. At first it was because I hated you. I hated you with a passion, fierce and intense. So, in a way, I've spent years being passionate about you." Jemma admitted.

She took another moment to herself, appreciating Fitz's silence (unless he's just walked away by this point). She was terrified to turn around to see his face.

"I was passionate in my hatred of you, but now I'm passionate in my caring for you. I've told you you're my major inconvenience time and time again, but I think for the first time I know what that truly means. It's because you inconvenience me by distracting me because lately when I try and concentrate on anything I always end up thinking about you. And that kind of terrifies me and excites me all at once."

Another pause. Silence. Jemma continued.

"So, yeah, I…for some reason or another I've always been passionate about you and I can't seem to get you off my mind. I make breakfast and I wonder what you're having. I go to the shop and wonder if you've got enough in your fridge. I go for a jog and I wonder if you'd have liked to come with me then kick myself for missing an opportunity to spend more time with you. Because without realising it that's what I've been doing, but now I realise it everything makes sense. The way I've treated you lately…it's evolved from hatred to care but it's always been passionate. I just think you're sweet and kind and caring and inspiring and…you make me feel better. I'm only just discovering this now, as I'm telling it to you. With every second I spend with you I'm learning more and more and I love that feeling and I need it like I need to breathe. If we can go from hating each other to being best friends I just feel like we could go further and I'm realising now that I want to."

Silence still.

"In a way, I've never hated you and I've always hated you because from being around you I've learnt more about myself and reached my full potential. So what I'm saying is…I hate you, Leo Fitz. In the best possible way. I hate how much I need you and yet I love how much I need you too. This probably makes no sense and I don't even know if you're still stood there but…I've said it now. It's out there. I've never truly known how to feel about you because I've always felt we could get along even when we were enemies, but I think I know now that I want to be with you because I've always needed you, as an enemy or as a friend. So maybe going just that little step further isn't too much of a stretch?"

Jemma sighed deeply.

"Okay, enough blabbing and rambling. I don't care that I used to hate you, because now I have feelings for you that go beyond friendship, and I want to give things a try."

Silence.

"I think I'm done now, Leo. Say something or walk away because I'm kind of dying." Jemma panted, overwhelmed with a sense of dread. Why the hell did she tell him quite _that_ much? Surely a simple _I have feelings for you_ would have done the trick?

"…Leo?"

A shiver shot up her spine as she felt his hand grab hers. A second shiver as his other hand guided her waist around to face him. She couldn't read the look on his face.

"Leo, I -"

And a third shiver as he passionately pressed his lips against hers.

It only lasted a few seconds before Fitz pulled away and took a few steps back. Jemma stared at his for a few moments, the smiled before walking up to him and kissing him again, pressing her hands to his face as he wraps his arms around her waist and held her close. The kiss lasted a good minute before Jemma broke away and started laughing.

"What?" Fitz asked, a huge smile on his face.

"I just can't believe I'm kissing you. I had a dream it happened years ago and it made me feel sick." Jemma admitted with a giggle.

"Well, that's charming." Fitz grinned.

"Don't worry," Jemma smiled, pulling Fitz's collar to bring their lips about a centimetre apart once more, "it's a very different story now."

"I hate you for being able to put into words what I've been trying to tell you for weeks." Fitz whispered. Jemma smiled as she kissed Fitz again.

From that moment on, the stars seemed to shine just that little bit brighter.


	19. Chapter 19

"Here you go, mum. Just the way you like it." Fitz smiled, gently placing a tray with a bowl of soup on onto Clara's lap.

"Thank you. Can we put some music on now?"

"Sure. What one do you want on?" Fitz asked, moving to the corner of the room where a well-used CD player and a stack of CDs stood, having been unmoved for years. On her bad days, music always seemed to help soothe Clara and keep her calm.

"The sad one." Clara said softly. Fitz smiled.

It was always the sad one.

He put the correct CD into the player and a few moments later "Wind Beneath My Wings" started playing. Clara delicately placed a spoonful of soup into her mouth and smiled, closing her eyes and leaning back in her armchair. Fitz walked over to her and sat on the side of the chair, moving a strand of hair out of her eye.

She was going to the home the next day.

He'd been struggling to hold it together, but knowing Jemma was due over any minute was certainly helping. Clara had been over the moon every single time Fitz had told her he was now dating Jemma. Everytime she would grin and say "about bloody time" with a chuckle.

The touch of Leo's hand on her head caused Clara to open her eyes and look up at her son with a smile.

"What's wrong, sweetie?"

"Nothing, mum." Fitz smiled as Clara returned to her soup. He listened to the song playing in the background.

' _Did you ever know that you're my hero  
And everything I would like to be?  
I could fly higher than an eagle  
'Cause you are the wind beneath my wings.'_

"…Why do you like the sad song so much, mum?" Fitz asked.

"…It's not sad when they're over. It's always sad when happy songs end. Sad songs always have a happy ending." Clara replied softly, stroking Fitz's cheek.

There was a knock on the door, and Fitz excitedly got up to answer it. Opening the door presented him the wonderful sight that was Jemma Simmons, former enemy turned friend turned best friend turned girlfriend. Wasn't history a funny thing?

"Hey, you." Jemma smiled.

"Hey." Fitz grinned as Jemma stepped inside and instantly kissed Fitz passionately before taking his hand and walking into the living room.

"Hello, Clara!" Jemma smiled, making Clara's face light up.

"Jemma! Hello, dear! Come and hug me, I've got soup on my lap!" Clara giggled and Jemma obeyed, gently hugging Clara as Fitz watched with a smile.

"Are you done with that mum?" Fitz asked, gesturing towards the bowl of soup. Clara nodded and Fitz took the tray off her lap, placing it in the kitchen.

"Jemma and I will be just upstairs, okay? You gonna be alright down here?" Fitz asked.

"Of course! I've got my programme on! Go have fun." Clara smiled.

…

"Sorry there isn't much choice; I've packed most of my DVDs away for when I move into Mack's." Fitz explained as Jemma sat on his bed looking through a small pile of DVDs for the pair to watch.

"That's okay. By the way, I think it's adorable that you've packed away your Lion King trilogy boxset because you don't think I know you have it." Jemma teased. Fitz blushed before laughing.

"Shut up." He smiled, sitting next to her on the bed and kissing her.

"You, adorable? Who'd have thought?" Jemma teased again.

"You're lucky you're beautiful and no longer my sworn nemesis, you know." Fitz grinned.

"I know." Jemma said, kissing Fitz again before getting up to put her chosen DVD in the player ('Avatar', of course).

"…Jem, you don't have to pretend we both don't know what's happening tomorrow." Fitz said sadly.

"I want you to be as happy as possible. I know tomorrow's going to be difficult but you know it's for the best. She gets excited every time you show her the leaflet." Jemma said, taking Fitz's hand and stroking his arm supportively.

"I know. And I promise after this is all sorted we'll do the first date and all the proper relationship stuff, I've just been so preoccupied and-"

"-Leo, I know. We'll tell everyone about us and make a proper go of things. I can't wait." Jemma smiled.

"Neither can I." Fitz grinned.

"…Do you want me there tomorrow?" Jemma asked. Fitz took a moment.

"I genuinely don't know. I don't think I'll know until the moment it's happening. I'm not used to comfort, I guess." Fitz admitted.

"Well, if you need it I'll be there like a shot, okay?"

"Thanks." Fitz smiled, kissing Jemma softly once more as the movie began playing. The two shuffled back on the bed and leaned against the bedroom wall as Jemma snuggled into Fitz's chest.

"You have all the comfort you'll ever need." Jemma whispered as Fitz kissed the top of her head.

"I know. Sometimes that's all I need to get by." Fitz replied.

"I'm glad." Jemma said.

"…One of my favourite memories of mum was actually the night dad left. It had sunk in that he wasn't coming back and for the first time ever I couldn't sleep. Mum heard me and came into my room, lay down in my bed next to me and held my hand. Just knowing she was there helped me get to sleep. It was just me and the person I care about most in the world. Together. I doubt she remembers that now." Fitz recalled.

"That's lovely." Jemma commented.

"She was…is."

"Just hold on to that, through everything." Jemma said.

"…I'm scared of how little I'll have left." Leo admitted tearfully.

"You'll have me." Jemma whispered, taking Fitz's hand and kissing it gently. Fitz put his hand through Jemma's hair and caressed her cheek as she smiled at him.

"Thank God for you, Jemma Simmons." He whispered, and she kissed him again.

…

After the film ended, Fitz went downstairs to check on Clara, who was fast asleep comfortably in her armchair. He returned to Jemma as she was putting her shoes on and gathering her things.

"She's fine. Sure you don't want me to walk you home?" Fitz asked.

"No, you stay with Clara. Call me if you need me, okay?" Jemma said and Fitz nodded as he sat down on his bed and kissed her goodbye.

"Okay."

"You're going to be amazing." Jemma whispered, kissing Fitz's forehead and heading for the door.

"Jem?"

Jemma turned around to see a broken Fitz sat on his bed, a tear falling down his cheek.

"Can you stay with me?" Fitz choked.

Jemma held back tears of her own, dropping her bag and wrapping her arms tightly around her boyfriend as he cried. She would never leave him, not that night.

…

Jemma worriedly spent the next few hours watching Fitz try to get to sleep as she sat in bed next to him. Eventually, she lay down and took his hand, kissing the back of his head.

"I'm here." She whispered with a sweet smile.

Fitz slept soundly for the rest of the night, Jemma's hand still firmly in his.

…

Fitz didn't wake Jemma when he arose at 7.30am; he knew he'd kept her up during the night so kissed her forehead and left her to sleep some more as he headed downstairs. Clara was awake, just staring into space.

"Mum?" Fitz whispered. Clara turned to face him.

"…Leo?"

"Yeah, it's me. Do you want some breakfast?" Fitz asked and Clara nodded with a smile.

"I'll make you some…it's a big day today, mum." Fitz said sadly.

"Don't sound so sad about it, love. Big days should be exciting." Clara said, so sweet and innocent. Fitz held back his tears for what wouldn't be the only time that day as he put some bread in the toaster.

"Not this day." He whispered.

"Leo?"

"Yes, mum?"

"Can we put some music on?"

Fitz smiled, walking into the living room and taking Clara's hand.

"Of course, mum. What one do you want on?"

Fitz let a tear fall as he kissed the top of Clara's head.

"…The sad one."


	20. Chapter 20

Fitz spent an hour in silence watching Clara shakily read a book. He'd found that she responded well to reading and it seemed to help her be more of the woman she was before that dreadful disease took hold. The books were quite short to give her more of a chance of remembering what happened previously, but they were useful nonetheless.

It was always worth it to see the occasional smile form on her face when she read something that pleased or amused her. It made Fitz smile too; he couldn't say that was a common occurrence nowadays.

He looked at his watch. Just after 9am. They'd be coming in just under three hours.

Fitz couldn't believe the day had actually arrived; a huge chapter his life was coming to an end. His sad song wasn't going to have a happy ending. It was just going to be sad.

"Morning." Jemma said delicately as she entered the room wiping her eyes. Clara looked up from her book to give her a smile before immediately continuing to read as Fitz stood up and gently kissed his girlfriend, the weight of the day ahead having already weakened him. They pressed their foreheads together and closed their eyes, taking the moment in.

"I don't know if I can do this, Jem." Fitz whispered.

"I know you can."

"I'm not strong enough to live in a world without her in it. Or you." Fitz admitted.

"She'll still be here, Leo. And I'm not going anywhere. I'll always be with you." Jemma smiled, kissing Fitz again and taking his hands in hers.

"Look at me." Jemma said softly. Fitz obeyed.

"You are much stronger than you give yourself credit for. You've been fighting this fight for too long. It's time for both of you to take the rest you deserve." Jemma smiled through the pain of the situation at hand.

"I know." Fitz admitted solemnly.

"Let's just make the most of this time we have now, okay?" Jemma suggested. Fitz nodded in agreement.

…

The three of them spent the next few hours singing along to many of Clara's CDs and laughing away, while Jemma read a Sherlock Holmes story to Clara while Fitz watched on, overjoyed that he would always have an image in his mind of the two most important people in his world getting along like a house on fire.

His mother had given him so much to treasure. He'd never be able to tell her just how much.

"I'm having a wonderful time." Clara chuckled to Jemma with a genuine smile.

"Me too." Jemma agreed. Clara shakily took Jemma's hand and held it softly.

"Thank you for making Leo smile."

"I learnt from the best." Jemma smiled.

"…Who?"

Jemma laughed lightly.

"You, Mrs Fitz."

"Oh. That's nice." Clara nodded.

Jemma felt like she genuinely had been warmed up by the smile that had formed on Clara's face. Her own smile faded when she glimpsed Leo looking at his watch with heartbreak plastered on his face. She gently kissed Clara's hand and walked over to her boyfriend.

"I'll give you some time alone before they get here." She whispered.

"Thank you." Fitz replied. Jemma kissed him passionately and headed upstairs, waving at Clara as she went.

"Such a lovely girl. Beautiful." Clara commented.

"She is." Fitz agreed with a smile as he watched her walk up the stairs.

"You should ask her out, Leo. I think she likes you." Clara teased with a cheeky giggle.

"Do you think?" Fitz asked, turning to face his mother with a grin. Clara nodded happily, making Fitz laugh.

"Well, I have to ask her out then. I'll do it later." Fitz said.

"You better." Clara said, rubbing the top of Fitz's head as he sat on the edge of her armchair.

"You okay for food and everything, mum?" Leo asked. Clara nodded.

"What shall we do now?"

"…The poem! Can you tell me that poem I like?" Clara asked. Fitz smiled, taking his mother's hand. He'd read it to her from her book so many times he knew it off by heart.

"Of course, mum."

" _As I sit in heaven, and watch you every day  
I try to let you know with signs I never went away  
I hear you when you're laughing and watch you as you sleep  
I even place my arms around you to calm you as you weep  
I see you wish the days away, begging to have me home  
So I try to send you signs so you know you are not alone  
Don't feel guilty that you have life that was denied to me  
Heaven is truly beautiful, just you wait and see  
So live your life, laugh again, enjoy yourself, be free  
Then I know with every breath you take, you'll be saving one for me."_

As soon as he finished reciting the words, Fitz let a tear fall down his cheek and started to cry. Clara instinctively placed her arms around him, calming him like it always did, right from the night his father left.

"Hey, don't cry, sweetie pie." Clara sang sweetly as Fitz wiped his tears.

"Leo."

Fitz looked into Clara's bright, warm eyes.

"I'm going to be fine. And so are you." Clara said knowingly. Fitz smiled; when he needed her the most, the mum he'd known for years always came home to him.

"I love you, mum." Fitz whispered, kissing the top of Clara's head and hugging her tight.

"I love you too." Clara replied.

They remained in silence for another twenty minutes. It was sad, but it was beautiful. Before long the people from the home arrived. Jemma had spent her time finishing pack Leo and Clara's things, and soon Clara's belongings were secured in the van from the care home.

"Where are we going?" Clara asked Leo as he helped her out of the house and along the path to the van, Jemma following behind.

"We're moving house, mum. I've got a house and you've got a house." Fitz answered excitedly.

"Oh, well this is exciting!" Clara exclaimed, smiling at the men waiting for them as they helped her get inside. Clara looked out of the window at her home and smiled.

"Goodbye, house!" She waved as the van pulled away and drove off. Fitz and Jemma were sat next to each other, with Leo also next to Clara. Jemma took Fitz's hand and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Goodbye." Clara echoed with a whisper.

…

Soon after arriving, Fitz walked Clara to her room. On the way, she was kindly greeted by fellow residents, who all gave her a smile and a few gave her a hug to welcome her to their own little family. Clara had already seemed to slot perfectly in like the final piece of a jigsaw puzzle.

"Here we are, mum." Fitz smiled, opening the door to Clara's room. They were greeted by warm lilac walls and a set of matching curtains, furniture and bedspread, all decorated with a repeating pattern of red roses and a little bird flying through the air.

"Wow. It's nice in here, isn't it Leo?" Clara asked, still holding Fitz's hand.

"Yeah. I showed you some pictures of it, remember?"

"No. Oh, look at the curtains! Aren't they lovely?"

"Yes, mum. This is your room, remember? You're gonna stay here now." Fitz said. Clara turned to him excitedly.

"Me? Here? Wonderful!" Clara exclaimed, clapping her hands together in glee. Fitz watched her with a smile; it was enough to hold back the tears forming in his eyes for the time being.

One of the nurses entered the room, smiling at Clara as she did so, and walked up to Leo.

"She looks happy. That's a very good start." The nurse said.

"Yeah. She loves it." Fitz smiled.

"We gave you the brochure with visiting hours, right?"

"Yeah, thank you." Fitz smiled.

"The woman at the desk said you had something for me? I'm Emily; I'll be Clara's primary carer."

"Oh, yeah." Fitz said, reaching into his pocket and giving Emily a thick envelope.

"So, there's a CD in there she likes to listen to. If she asks for you to play 'the sad one' she means 'Wind Beneath My Wings'. There's also a book with a poem she likes to here in it, I've marked the page, and I wrote her a letter explaining what's going on and where she is in case she ever gets in a panic and forgets why she's here." Fitz explained.

"Wow, that's very helpful. Thank you very much, and I promise you we'll do our utmost to make your mum as happy and as comfortable as possible." Emily smiled.

"I know you will. Thanks." Fitz said, welling up again.

"To be brave enough to let her come here; you clearly love her very much." Emily said softly and all Fitz could do was nod. He all too quickly realised he couldn't see Jemma anywhere nearby.

"Sorry, do you know where another girl who came in with us went? Bit shorter than me, brown air, _very_ English, absolutely stunning?" Fitz asked. Emily just chuckled.

"As I was walking down she was grilling one of the kitchen staff about the quality of the ingredients they use."

"Sounds like her." Fitz chuckled.

"I'll give you two some space." Emily said, smiling as she walked out.

"So, um, you like it here, mum?" Fitz asked and Clara nodded.

"Oh, isn't it lovely? And this is my room?" Clara asked.

"Yep. All yours."

"Where's your room?"

"My room's not here, mum. I'm living with Mack now. Remember Mack? One of my closest friends? He comes round all the time." Fitz explained.

"Yes, yes, I remember Mackie. Why aren't you living here?" Clara asked. Fitz held back his tears with all his might.

"This…this isn't my place, mum, it's yours. There are nice people here who can look after you better than I can. But I promise I will come and see you all the time. Maybe not every day, but most days. I'm not leaving you. I love you." Fitz said softly.

Clara smiled, gently stroking Fitz's face.

"When did you get so grown up?" Clara asked.

"I have no idea." Fitz smiled. The two laughed together.

"I love you, Leo." Clara said, pulling her son into a hug. Fitz held his mother tightly and let the tears flow down his cheeks. Clara felt him crying in her arms.

"Don't cry, Leo. Don't cry."

They parted and Clara wiped Fitz's tears off his face.

"Don't cry, love. I'm happy. I'm home." Clara whispered, kissing Fitz on the cheek and sitting down in an armchair by the TV.

"Oh, this is comfy. Is this my chair too?" Clara asked. Fitz dried the last of his tears and smiled.

"Yep, all yours."

"Oh, this is marvellous. I like this room, don't you?"

"Yes, mum. It's beautiful."

"Very beautiful." Clara said.

They spent the next few minutes in silence, Fitz watching his mother happily hum to herself sat in her chair. She'd never looked quite so at home in a long time.

"Well, I have a final bit of paperwork to go through, mum. I'll leave you to get settled, okay?" Fitz asked.

"Oh, okay. When will you be back?" Clara asked.

"Soon, mum. Very soon. I'm never far away. Just a phone call at most." Fitz said.

"Well go on then! Do what you have to do. Save the world." Clara laughed.

Fitz walked over to Clara and kissed the top of her head.

"See you soon, mum."

"Bye, sweetie. I love you."

"Love you too."

And with that, Fitz headed for the door. Clara faced him and waved with a smile on her face. Somehow, despite all she would soon forget, the faith she had in her son always remained. Fitz waved back and closed the door, letting a few more happy tears fall. He walked away as a chapter of his and Clara's life came to a close, and it was sad and it was beautiful.

…

Fitz walked back into the reception area, where Jemma was sat on a chair thoroughly reading through a brochure, with another five on her lap.

"What are you doing?" Fitz asked.

"Final checks. I've counted seven incorrect uses of a semi colon." Jemma said.

"You're a semi colon. Ready to go?" Fitz asked. Jemma looked surprised as she stood up and put the brochures back.

"Already? We've only been here an hour."

"I'd rather not dwell on it too much. Plus, mum seems right at home. She'll be fast asleep in her new armchair before you know it." Fitz smiled through his pain. Jemma told his hands in hers.

"Are you okay?"

"As okay as I think I can be. She's happy. That's what counts." Fitz said.

"I think she is, yes. Are you?" Jemma asked.

"…Yeah. I've got you." Fitz smiled. Jemma smiled back.

"Oh, actually, on second thought. I've got _you_ …" Fitz teased with a smirk and Jemma playfully hit him.

"I hate you." She smiled.

"Hate you too." Fitz said, taking Jemma's hand and heading out to start a whole new adventure.

Fitz knew his time with Clara was far from over, and the memories she'd lost he still had, so they wouldn't die. It was never goodbye, not really.

Not a miracle, just faith.


	21. Chapter 21

Four days went by uneventfully; Jemma and Fitz went to college every day as normal, attended all their classes, ate with their friends at lunch and even did all the "couple" things – holding hands as they walked to class, impromptu make out sessions in empty storage cupboards during breaks and everything else.

Fitz had settled into living at Mack's house very easily; he knew the whole family so well it was hardly a surprise. He'd also visited Clara every day for an hour or two and was glad to see she was already settled into the daily going on at the home and had only woken up not knowing where she was on one occasion.

Everything was going fantastically well (the pair had even told their friends they were officially together – they all got rather excitable), but Jemma was having selfish thoughts and feeling guilty about them. Didn't Fitz promise they'd go on their first proper date after everything was sorted and settled?

She felt bad to be thinking it; she didn't expect them to go on their first date instantly, maybe after two or three days – but four? Maybe he just wasn't in the mood yet; she'd understand that.

Maybe _she_ should organise a date? Would that come across as pushy and impatient? She wouldn't want to force a first date upon him if he simply wasn't ready. No, she could wait. She knew it'd be worth it when the time came.

…

That afternoon, Jemma returned home feeling a bit down. When Fitz rushed out of class upon being dismissed without even saying goodbye, she assumed he was rushing to go and see Clara or there had been an emergency. However, when she text Mack he confirmed that Fitz was watching TV with him. Had she done something to upset him?

Then her phone buzzed and she excitedly checked her inbox upon receiving a text, but it wasn't Fitz. It was Skye.

 _Bobbi and I are going bowling tonight if you wanna come? Around 6.30? It's been ages since we all hung out xxx_

Jemma didn't have any plans, and Fitz hadn't replied to any of her texts, so she thought she may as well have some fun if the opportunity arose. She sent her reply rather quickly.

 _Sounds great xxx_

After a few moments, Skye sent her a reply of her own.

 _Great! Be sure to dress up; Bobbi found out Lance checks her Instagram all the time and wants to make him jealous so we all have to look our best for her mini photoshoot :L xxx_

Jemma chuckled and rolled her eyes. Typical Bobbi.

Skye was right; it had been a while since she'd properly gone out, so she was going all out this time. Her favourite green dress, intricate make-up – the works.

Suddenly excited, she hurried upstairs to get ready; she only had a few hours, after all.

…

At 6.25pm, Jemma's dad dropped her off at the bowling alley, part of a huge complex of shops and establishments, and she felt like she'd never looked better. She'd meticulously applied her make-up and there was something about her favourite green dress that seemed to bring her to life in a way nothing else could.

There was no sign of Skye or Bobbi inside or outside, so Jemma decided to wait for them by the entrance; it wasn't wet or windy so her hair and make-up were safe for now.

She smiled as it turned to 6.30pm; she couldn't remember either of them ever being on time to one of their hang out sessions.

"You look stunning."

Jemma turned to her left after hearing the distinctive Scottish accent of her boyfriend, and saw Fitz stood there with a smile, dressed up a in very smart shirt and trousers with a few red roses in his hand.

"Surprise!" He added with glee. Jemma's face lit up with a grin.

"What are you doing here?" Jemma asked, shocked but delighted.

"I was wondering if you would do me the honour of accompanying me on our first date." Fitz said happily.

"Wait, but I-"

"-You really bought it? Get all dressed up to go _bowling_?" Fitz teased cheekily. Jemma chuckled.

"And Skye doesn't dress up for anything. I should've known. I hate you." She smiled.

"I don't. I just like you. Very much so. Sorry I avoided you today; I was trying to make sure you'd agree to go out with Skye and Bobbi. It was surprisingly awful. I know we've both been waiting a while to do this and I wanted to surprise you." Fitz explained.

"I guess you are forgiven. Might those lovely flowers be for me?" Jemma asked, gesturing towards the roses Fitz was holding.

"Oh, no. They bring out the colour of my shirt." Fitz teased. Jemma walked up to him and laughed.

"Shut up." She smiled before pulling him close for a long, passionate kiss. They broke apart and Jemma took the roses.

"They're beautiful. Thank you."

"You're welcome. I did have a lot more but there was a gust of wind on the way here and I dropped a load of them into a puddle." Fitz explained shyly and Jemma giggled.

"You're adorable. So what's the plan?" Jemma asked.

"Well, not bowling. Another clever trick by yours truly." Fitz grinned.

"You're a genius." Jemma smiled.

"I am. I thought we could try that new restaurant at the end of this block?"

"I'd love too, but isn't that so busy it's reservation only?" Jemma wondered.

"Which is why I booked it two weeks ago." Fitz smiled. Jemma smiled and kissed him again.

"What did I do to deserve you, Leo Fitz?"

"Something terrible, I imagine." Fitz grinned and Jemma laughed. Fitz offered her his hand, which she very gladly held before the two walked down the street towards the restaurant.

…

Jemma and Fitz were blown away by the restaurant; it was gorgeous, the atmosphere and music all blended perfectly to create quite a magical experience. They'd already had superb starters and were waiting for their main meals to arrive.

"How's Clara doing?" Jemma asked.

"Really good, actually. She seemed even happier today. She really loves it there. I think it helps her that she gets company 24 hours a day." Fitz explained.

"That's great. I'll have to come with you for a visit soon." Jemma smiled.

"Only if you want; you really don't have to." Fitz said.

"I _do_ want to. Your mum's lovely." Jemma said, taking Fitz's hands from across the table. The two took a moment smiling at each other and taking each other in.

"Have I told you how beautiful you look?" Fitz asked.

"Seven times since we walked into the restaurant." Jemma grinned.

"Well, that won't do. That's nowhere near enough." Fitz said and Jemma blushed. A year ago the thought of Leo Fitz making her blush sounded like something out of a dream. Well, a nightmare.

"Well, you look very handsome yourself, as always." Jemma smiled.

"Even when we were at each other's throats?" Fitz wondered.

"I think so; it was just the words that came out of your mouth that were off putting." Jemma teased.

"Fair enough." Fitz chuckled.

"How's life at Mack's?" Jemma asked.

"Great; I love it there, they're all so welcoming. Mack's mum is a great cook." Fitz explained.

"Oh, that reminds me! Mum wants to have you over for dinner one evening again since we're officially a couple now." Jemma said.

"Oh no, they're not gonna grill me are they?" Fitz asked nervously.

"Yes, ten minutes on each side until you're lightly charred." Jemma teased.

"Funny. You know what I mean; what my prospects are and my plans for the future and all that?"

"I doubt it. If they do I'll stop them, I promise. They both love you anyway." Jemma said.

"Glad to hear it. A seal of approval from the Simmons family is all I've ever dreamed of." Fitz grinned. Jemma smiled back at the idiot in front of her. Her beautiful idiot.

"You're a nerd." Jemma teased with a laugh.

"You're one to talk." Fitz teased in retaliation.

Jemma took a moment to stare at her boyfriend and truly appreciate everything she had.

"This has been incredible so far. Thank you." Jemma said happily.

"Only the best for my minor inconvenience." Fitz smiled.

"You know I'm happy to do anything as long as you're there." Jemma said.

"I know you are. It's one of the reasons I love you so much." Fitz remarked. Jemma stared directly into Fitz's face, a look of shock on her face.

Fitz looked back at her in confusion, wondering if she was feeling alright. What's with that face? Did he say something?

"Only the best for my minor inconvenience"…"as long as you're there"…"one of the reasons **I love you** so much"…

…Oh. Crap.

Fitz's face filled with realisation over what he'd said.

"Oh. Haven't said that before, have I?" Fitz said, embarrassed and wanting the ground to swallow him up. Jemma just shook her head, her expression of shock morphing into a n ecstatic smile.

"…I didn't know you…I mean…I wasn't sure if you…" Jemma mumbled.

"…Well…I do." Fitz said.

"You do?" Jemma asked, her smile growing wider.

"After everything you've done for me over the past few months…how could I not?" Fitz asked. Jemma giggled like a schoolgirl as Fitz leaned forward and took her hands again.

"I love you, Jemma."

Jemma soaked in the words, wanting to remember absolutely everything about this moment.

"I love you too." Jemma eventually said, making Fitz look happier than she'd ever seen him.

"…Wow." Fitz said.

"I know. Never thought I'd look at you and feel that." Jemma smiled.

"Life is weird." Fitz laughed. Jemma laughed with him.

…

The rest of the date went incredibly well; the food was divine and the pair walked all the back to Jemma's, hand-in-hand and officially, properly in love. Life really was weird, but in the most amazing way.

It was pretty late at this point, but Fitz had text Mack to say he'd be back late and there was no need to wait up for him. Jemma opened the front door and the two headed straight up to Jemma's room, falling onto Jemma's bed and making out the second they landed.

After a few glorious minutes, Jemma had come to a decision that her whole life had been preparing her to make. She was with this incredible boy and in love with him; there was never going to be a better time. She stopped kissing Fitz and sat up, growing nervous.

"You okay?" Fitz asked, shuffling next to her as they sat on the end of the bed together.

"Mum and dad are away. Dad's got a business conference thing." Jemma said softly.

"…Okay…" Fitz said, unable to see where Jemma was going with this.

"Maybe you could, I mean we could…"

"Jem?"

"…Maybe you could…stay over…tonight." Jemma eventually said, somewhat awkwardly. She looked at Fitz as he caught on to her meaning.

"Oh. Right."

"…Unless you don't want to." Jemma said, looking away.

"No, no, I…I want to. _Believe me_. I just…I wouldn't want you to think you _have_ to, or are obligated to-"

"-Leo." Jemma said, stopping Fitz in his tracks and taking his hand.

"I…I want you to stay. I would like that a lot."

"…A-Are you sure? I mean, the food isn't disagreeing with you or anything is it?" Fitz asked, making Jemma chuckle. She loved how comfortable he could make her.

"I'm as clearheaded now as I've ever been." Jemma smiled.

"…Okay. I'll, uh, I'll stay." Fitz said.

"…Great." Jemma said.

"I'll just text Mack."

"Okay."

After sending Mack a quick text saying he wouldn't be back until the morning, Fitz shuffled a bit closer to Jemma and the two shared an awkward smile.

"Right then, I, um…" Fitz began.

"…Yeah."

After a pause, Fitz leaned in and kissed Jemma passionately. She reciprocated instantly, smiling into the kiss. Soon enough they were comfortable and shuffled further back on the bed, Jemma's head now resting on a pillow as the kiss continued. Eventually they broke apart and Jemma stared up at the boy smiling at her. Fitz rolled off of Jemma and got settled lying next to her on the bed.

"…Leo, I…I've never actually…you know…" Jemma said, embarrassed.

"Neither have I." Fitz revealed. Jemma smiled at him.

"Really?"

"Really."

"…I'm not really sure what to expect." Jemma admitted. Fitz sat up and gently moved a strand of Jemma's hair behind her ear.

"We can find out together." Fitz smiled. Jemma nodded with a grin, pulling Fitz close and kissing him again.

"I love you." She whispered.

"I love you too." Fitz replied softly, his lips moving down Jemma's neck. Jemma intricately undid the top button of Fitz's shirt, and suddenly knew just what to say.

"Leo?"

"Yeah?"

"I hate you."

"Hate you too." Fitz smiled, kissing Jemma as gently as he could.

In that moment, both of their nerves faded; they were together, and that was all that mattered.

Fitz unbuttoned the rest of his shirt as Jemma turned off the light, smiling softly as she did it.


	22. Chapter 22

The next few months passed blissfully; at last there had reached a point where there wasn't a huge drama waiting around the corner. Things between Jemma and Fitz were great, amazing in fact. Skye hadn't gotten into any fights (surprisingly practically everyone), Fitz loved staying at Mack's, everyone's college grades were solid and Clara was in her prime at the care home. All was well and life was good.

Fitz came downstairs one Monday morning with a sense of nervousness about him. Today saw the beginning of what he'd called 'Panic Period'; the first week of seriously cracking down on revision for exams, which were now a few weeks away. Things had been so mad and complicated that revision schedules had gone out the window a long time ago. He still had time, but not as much as he was comfortable with.

"You're worrying too much, Turbo. We all know you could nail every single exam if you had to take it today." Mack said as the two boys ate breakfast in the Mackenzie kitchen.

"I don't know about that." Fitz remarked.

"Well, I know you could. Either way, you've still got loads of time and now you have nothing to stress over. It's all good."

"I appreciate your faith in me. You're sounding like Jemma." Fitz smiled.

"Yeah, except you listen to her. And you smiling every time you say her name is starting to rot my teeth." Mack teased.

Fitz glared at him and rolled his eyes before smiling again.

…

Leo was busy revising at a table in the library (a.k.a. waiting for Jemma, who was elsewhere helping Bobbi with her revision – Bobbi would be lost otherwise) when he felt someone stand opposite him. He looked up from his book and saw Skye smiling at him.

"Hey." Fitz said.

"Hey. Mind if I sit?" Skye asked.

"Go ahead." Fitz smiled and Skye sat down at the table, getting out a stack of books and a notepad.

"Is that all revision?" Fitz asked and she nodded.

"I didn't know you did that sort of thing." Fitz smirked.

"Whatever, Fitzy. There's clearly a lot you don't know about me." Skye laughed.

"Clearly. I'm sorry about that, by the way." Fitz said solemnly.

"Sorry for what?"

"I seriously misjudged you these past few years. After everything Jemma's told me about you and the things you've done for her…I've seen I was wrong. We actually get along, too." Fitz explained and Skye chuckled.

"Right back at ya, Fitz. I thought you were a cold hearted, self-centred piece of crap but you're actually a great guy. Plus, I've honestly never seen Jemma so happy. So thanks for that too."

"Really?" Fitz asked, grinning.

"Really. Poor, besotted dear can't help but smile when she says your name." Skye said. Fitz looked down and smiled to himself; yet another thing they had in common, then.

"How's revision going, anyway?" Fitz asked, changing the subject before he started blushing and Skye would make fun of him.

"Okay, I guess. Lincoln's been helping me a bit but I've grown into a strong, independent woman recently." Skye chuckled.

"I see." Fitz smiled.

"…How's your mum doing?" Skye asked timidly, unsure if she should bring up the topic.

"Great, actually. She loves it there. Thanks for asking." Fitz smiled as his phone vibrated. He grinned as he opened the text message and read it.

"Do I get three guesses as to who that is?" Skye asked with a grin.

"Do you need three guesses?"

"I barely need _one_."

…

Jemma's face lit up the moment she saw Fitz approach their meeting spot, instantly rushing to embrace him. Linking hands, the pair walked down the corridor happily.

"Still okay to come with me to see mum tomorrow?" Fitz asked.

"Absolutely; I can't wait to see how she's settled in." Jemma replied with a smile.

"She bloody runs the place." Fitz smirked.

"I bet she does. So, what shall we do tonight? You could come over to mine for dinner? Mum and dad would love to see you." Jemma said.

"Oh, sure. Sounds good to me. It's been a while since I've properly seen them." Fitz smiled.

"That's what mum keeps saying. She loves you." Jemma smirked.

"Can you blame her?"

"Of course not, sweetie."

…

"So Leo, when are you gonna propose?" Jemma's dad asked over dinner that evening. The dining room fell silent as Leo's head flung up to stare at Jemma's father with wide eyes and a pale face.

"W-what?" Fitz asked.

"Dad! He's joking." Jemma said, gently rubbing Fitz's arm as he sighed with relief.

"You're terrible." Jemma's mother whispered to her father with a chuckle.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist. How's studying going? Ready for exams?" Jemma's dad asked.

"I'm making progress. Not having to worry about mum's helping me get a lot more done." Fitz explained.

"What about you, Jem?"

"Pretty good. I've been helping Bobbi too. I can't let the 'Panic Period' get to me." Jemma said. Fitz immediately turned to her.

"The what?"

"The 'Panic Period'. It's what I call this time of year." Jemma answered. Fitz stared at her, smiling in awe.

"What?" Jemma asked.

"Nothing." Fitz grinned.

"The only thing I'm really worried about is engineering. There are a few concepts I just can't grasp." Jemma said.

"You'll nail it in the end, though; you always do. I've been helping Mack out at the garage a bit to get a bit more experience; I can ask if you can help out sometime if you want? Mack will say yes, I'm sure." Leo suggested.

"That would be wonderful! You are the sweetest." Jemma smiled, kissing Fitz on the cheek and not daring to look at either of her parents for a few minutes afterwards. Fitz's phone started vibrating and he checked to see who was calling.

"It's the care home; they said they'd call me so I can update mum's records. Excuse me." Leo smiled, getting up and quickly heading into the next room to talk. Jemma watched her boyfriend go with a smile.

"I know I say it every time, but he really is lovely." Jemma's mother said.

"I know he is." Jemma smiled.

"Things really have gotten serious, huh?" Jemma's father asked.

"They have." Jemma blushed.

"Hold on to that one, Jem. He's a…gem." Jemma's mother giggled.

"And don't worry about your exams either, sweetheart. We all know you'll be exceptional." Jemma's father said.

"That's what Leo keeps saying."

"He's a good lad. I like him very much."

At that moment, Fitz rushed back in, practically running to his chair and pulling his coat off of it, throwing it around him.

"Leo?" Jemma asked. Looking at Fitz showed he had tears in his eyes and he was shaking all over.

"S-sorry, I've got to go. I'm sorry. I'll call you. T-thank you for dinner, Mr and Mrs S-Simmons." Fitz choked before rushing out before the tears started to flow. Jemma got up to follow him out.

"Leo!"

She reached the front door and saw he was already halfway down the road. Turning back inside, she saw her parents stood at the doorway looking concerned.

Jemma's heart had never beat faster.


	23. Chapter 23

Jemma rushed into the entrance of Terrigen care home and ran to the front desk.

"Miss, it's past visiting hours." The receptionist said gently.

"I know, but I'm pretty sure my boyfriend was summoned here for an emergency. Leo Fitz? His mother lives here, Clara? He got a call and he must've come here, surely?" Jemma wondered.

"Oh, yes. Mrs Fitz has had an accident, but only family can see her at the moment." The receptionist clarified.

"Okay, but he is here? And Clara's okay? Wait, you're probably not able to tell me details, right?" Jemma asked.

"Mrs Fitz's son is in with her, yes."

"Okay, can you get a message to him and tell him Jemma's here for him? Please?" Jemma begged. The receptionist nodded.

"Take a seat, I'll go and tell him. I shouldn't be letting you stay this late."

"Thank you; I won't stay long if Leo doesn't want me to." Jemma said as the receptionist walked off, returning a minute later with a distressed looking Fitz not far behind her. The instant Jemma saw him she ran into his arms and held him tight.

"What's happened? You just ran off!" Jemma exclaimed.

"I know, I'm sorry. I-I, it was just the shock of it." Fitz mumbled.

"Is she okay? Please tell me she's alright." Jemma panicked.

"She had a bad fall down some concrete steps in the garden. They don't think she's broken anything but she's got a few nasty cuts and bruises. I'm sorry I didn't stay and explain, that was stupid of me." Fitz explained.

"Leo, it's fine. It just had me worried, that's all. I'd have probably done the same; you just wanted to get here." Jemma said softly. Leo smiled at her appreciatively.

"You really know how I tick, don't you?"

"I really do." Jemma smiled. Fitz pulled her into another hug.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

The receptionist watched out of the corner of her eye, smiling at her desk.

…

The next morning, Mack opened his front door and smiled as Jemma entered his view.

"Morning." Mack smiled.

"Good morning. Am I okay to come in?"

"Sure. Turbo's still asleep but you can wait for him to wake up. He didn't get back till late so I thought I better let him sleep in, especially with exams coming up. Rest is important." Mack explained.

"I agree. Thank you." Jemma said as she stepped in and walked through to Mack's living room. She delicately took a seat on the couch while Mack sat in an armchair to her right.

"Are your parents in?" Jemma asked.

"At work. I have a late shift; I swapped it with someone in case Turbo needed looking after. He was kinda teary when he got back so I just sent him to bed. I think Clara had a fall or something?" Mack said.

"Yeah, a few cuts and bruises. Leo sat with her for a few hours but they think she'll recover perfectly well." Jemma explained.

"That's good to hear. Timing could've been better." Mack commented.

"Agreed." Jemma said.

Silence.

"He still feels guilty about putting her in the home." Jemma eventually said.

"I know. He still feels that responsibility he had when it was just him caring for her. It's not healthy. He doesn't realise she's getting the best care she can and he doesn't need to have so much weight on his shoulders." Mack agreed.

"I keep trying to tell him that, but something holds him back from accepting it." Jemma said. Fitz suddenly wandered into the room, his eyes widening with surprise at the sight of Jemma smiling at him.

"Oh, hey." Fitz said.

"Hi." Jemma smiled as Fitz sat down and kissed her softly. Mack smiled slightly as he caught the familiar sight of Fitz looking at Jemma like she had all the answers to the mysteries of the universe.

"What's going on?" Fitz asked.

"I just came to check up on you and Clara." Jemma said.

"She was okay when I left, just a bit sore. I don't think she knew exactly who I was." Fitz revealed glumly, leading Jemma to take his hand and squeeze it supportively.

"We think you're holding on to too much responsibility here, Turbo. You need to stop looking after her like her carer and focus on being her son." Mack said.

"I _am_ being her son." Fitz said almost angrily.

"I think Mack's trying to say that you're still putting too much pressure on yourself. You were absolutely right to go and check on her when they called you, of course you were, but I know you and I know you're blaming yourself for not being there when she fell. It was just an accident. You can hold anything against yourself for that." Jemma said, rubbing Fitz's hand caressingly.

"Damn, you should write a book." Mack said.

"But if I had been there-"

"-Leo, being there wouldn't change anything. You can't be there all the time, so sometimes accidents will happen. You need to forgive yourself for living your own life, which you know is what she wants for you." Jemma said softly.

"I'm just…I'm scared, that's all." Fitz sighed.

"Scared of what?" Mack asked.

Fitz took a moment to himself as Jemma and Mack waited with bated breath.

"I'm scared she thinks I've abandoned her. Like dad did." Fitz admitted.

"Turbo, that might just be the dumbest thing you've ever said." Mack smiled.

"I'm serious, Mack." Fitz said sternly.

"Yes, you are, and that worries me." Jemma said, taking Fitz's hands in hers and looking him right in his perfect blue eyes.

"Leopold Fitz, you are NOT like your father. You have not and never will abandon Clara like he did; we all know you love her too much to ever do that. You've stood by her ever since she was diagnosed, a constant force of support. You'll never be like him because your heart is too good. Letting her go to Terrigen is the greatest act of love I've ever seen; you need to stop finding guilt where there isn't any. The best thing you can do for her is let her go free and live her life just like you can. You owe that to her and yourself." Jemma said softly.

"Seriously Simmons, write a book." Mack added.

Fitz looked into Jemma's eyes and saw the wisdom behind them. He knew he'd always blamed himself for even the slightest thing going wrong because he was the only one there _to_ blame. Maybe it was time to start blaming the people who _weren't_ there when they _should_ have been.

His father.

He should have been there for Clara; for both of them. All that pain he left behind was his fault and his alone.

"…You're right. This isn't all my mess, but I've done the best I can to clean it up." Fitz smiled.

"Exactly." Jemma grinned.

"Terrigen does wonders for Clara's care, Fitz. That's the best place for her; I know you try your absolute best and I'm not being harsh, but they can take care of her better than you can. You've got stuff to do too. Like exams, and finishing college and going to university and making her proud." Mack stated.

It seemed like the clouds had parted and sunlight had touched Fitz's face for the first time in years. He'd been so used to blaming himself for the messes others made he didn't consider that he _wasn't_ to blame. All that pressure he'd put on himself to keep looking after Clara was gone; he could finally look after her as her son for the first time in far too long.

Fitz said nothing more, pulling Jemma into a tight hug with teary eyes and mouthing 'thank you' to Mack.

…

Fitz softly entered Clara's room that afternoon, greeting her with a smile as he watched her reading in her chair. The look on her face made it clear she didn't recognise him. It broke his heart, but Fitz played along.

"Hello, Clara. How are you doing?" Fitz asked as he sat on a stool nearby Clara's armchair.

"Good, good. Do you know when lunch is?" Clara wondered innocently.

"Yeah, I think they're bringing it round now." Fitz smiled.

"Oh, good. I'm bloody hungry, I tell you." Clara smiled, making Fitz laugh.

"What are you having to eat?"

"You know, I don't actually know." Clara said.

"Well, I'm sure it'll be nice, whatever it is." Fitz smiled.

"Yes." Clara nodded.

"Well, I just wanted to make sure everything was okay with you." Fitz said, teary.

"Everything's just grand, dear. I'm a bit sore – I think I took a tumble – but I'm on the mend. Any excuse to rest up, eh?" Clara giggled and Fitz laughed with her.

"Absolutely. I'm glad you're okay…Clara."

"I'm wonderful, my dear."

"Great. I'll, uh…I'll leave you to get on then; don't want to trouble you for too long. You seem quite happy." Fitz said.

"Happy, happy. That's me." Clara smiled as Fitz headed for the door, letting a tear fall.

"Oh, hold on! Do you know when Leo's coming to see me?" Clara wondered, sitting up in her chair. Fitz stopped for a moment then faced her again.

"Leo?"

"My son. He said he'd come and see me soon." Clara said.

"…Oh, Leo! Yes! He's on his way. He'll be here soon. He's always here. Always." Fitz smiled and Clara grinned happily.

"He's bloody marvellous, that boy of mine. I'm so proud of him. And that Jemma…oh, she's beautiful." Clara said happily.

"That she is." Fitz smiled under his breath.

"And he'll be here soon?"

"Yeah, really soon. When's he ever let you down?" Fitz asked.

"Oh, never. Never ever." Clara said.

Fitz smiled through his tears, turning away again.

"I'll leave you to get ready for food, then." Fitz said solemnly.

"Oh, is food nearly ready? Marvellous." Clara smiled.

"Yeah, it'll be here soon. And everything's okay, yeah?" Fitz asked.

"Happy as can be, my love." Clara nodded.

"Great. Goodbye, Clara."

"Oh, you're off now? Okay, bye darling! Thanks for stopping by! See you soon!" Clara said, waving with a big grin as Fitz smiled and stepped out.

"See you soon, mum." Fitz whispered as he headed out with a sad but beautiful smile. Now he had to focus on making her proud, and step one of that plan meant passing his exams.

The story of Fitz and his mother was sad. And it was beautiful. But when all was said and done, Clara was happy and so was Fitz.

Sounds like a happy ending to me.


	24. Chapter 24

Jemma stared intensely at the calendar for a few minutes, reading the words written on that day's date in red marker over and over again.

'EXAM WEEK'.

She took a deep breath and started to get ready. Just as she finished getting dressed her phone buzzed; she smiled as she saw Leo had sent her a text.

 _You're gonna be brilliant today x_

Whenever Jemma Simmons felt lost, Leo Fitz was there to guide her home.

…

"Right then, I think that's all the revision we can squeeze in; you're all needed in the exam hall in fifteen minutes, so start making your way there now. Good luck everyone; I know you'll all do brilliantly!" Mrs Henderson smiled widely at the class as everyone reluctantly packed their bags to get to their first exam. The tension in the air was palpable.

"Good luck you two!" Mrs Henderson whispered to Leo and Jemma as they walked past her; they smiled back at her as they walked out of the room hand in hand.

"We have her to thank, don't we?" Jemma asked.

"Yeah, she's a great teacher." Leo nodded.

"I meant for putting us together in the first place." Jemma smiled.

"Oh. Yeah, I suppose you're right. I doubt I could ever truly repay her for getting you." Leo said.

"You make me sound like an object. You didn't buy me." Jemma chuckled.

"No, I bought your heart with my obvious good looks and charisma." Leo grinned cheekily.

"Let's agree to disagree." Jemma teased.

"…You nervous?" Leo whispered amongst the crowd of students heading to the exam hall with them. Jemma nodded shyly.

"You'll be amazing as always." Leo said, kissing Jemma's hand supportively.

"So will you." Jemma nodded sweetly.

"If all else fails, I'm sure Mack can get you a job at the garage." Fitz teased and Jemma playfully nudged him. As they reached the exam hall, where a whole congregation of nervous students had gathered, Jemma and Leo were immediately confronted by a panicked looking Skye.

"I've drunk six Red Bulls this morning and I have about a hundred pens in my pockets. They're starting to chafe, though. Anyone need pens?" Skye asked, turning to the crowd.

"We were supposed to bring our own pens? That's a bit cheap. Are they seriously saying there's no room in the budget for pens?" Grant Ward asked from nearby.

"Here you go, you dweeb." Skye mocked jokingly, handing a few pens to Grant.

"Good luck guys." Grant smiled and wandered off to talk to some others.

"Where's Bobbi?" Jemma asked. Skye immediately smirked, gesturing to the opposite end of the room where Bobbi was chatting away to Lance, her hand in his and a smile on her face.

"She won't tell me a thing. Bitch." Skye chuckled.

"Good for them." Leo smiled.

"So, feeling ready?" Jemma asked Skye.

"My confidence comes and goes. If I focus I'm sure I'll be fine. I'm scared I'll get so nervous I'll start shaking so hard it'll cause an earthquake." Skye commented.

"At least it'd get us out of the exam." Leo smiled.

"Good point." Skye laughed.

"Oh, that'll be Mack. I'll answer it then turn it off before I forget." Leo said as his phone vibrated in his pocket. He moved away from Jemma and Skye before answering it.

"Hey."

"Hey, Turbo. You about to go in?" Mack asked.

"Yep, anytime now."

"Well, good luck. You'll all do great; if the late night studying I've been helping you with is anything to go by you won't get a thing wrong." Mack chuckled.

"Fingers crossed. I appreciate you calling to wish me luck." Leo said.

"Well, it wasn't just for that, actually. Guess who just got a promotion?" Mack said excitedly.

"No way! That's amazing!" Leo said enthusiastically.

"Yep. The money's incredible, too. Best day of my life." Mack said happily.

"I'm proud of you, mate." Fitz said.

"I'm proud of _you_. Your mom will be proud of you too, Turbo."

"…I know." Fitz smiled.

"Well, I'll let you go and nail your exam. Wish the girls luck for me!" Mack said, hanging up the phone. Leo smiled as he re-joined Jemma.

"All okay?" She asked.

"Very okay. Where's Skye?"

"Giving Lincoln about thirty pens." Jemma smirked.

"Well then…here we are at last." Leo sighed. Jemma took his hand.

"Let's do this."

…

Jemma, Leo and the rest of the group were extremely happy with how the exam went, and were even happier when they found out a few months later that they'd passed with flying colours. After a lot (A LOT) of parties celebrating the end of their first year of college, Jemma decided it was time for a low-key and personal celebration – dinner with her parents.

"…and mum was thrilled when I told her my results. She remembered for the next few days, too. She hasn't retained anything for that long in a while." Leo explained to Jemma and her parents as they tucked into their meal on a warm summer evening.

"Oh, that is lovely. How is your mum doing?" Jemma's mother asked.

"Not great, if I'm honest, but she's in the right place. If she wasn't there she'd be even worse at this point; she won't get better so I'm just grateful she's still pretty mobile." Leo explained.

"I wish we could've gotten the chance to properly get to know her." Jemma's father said.

"Yeah, me too." Leo nodded sadly.

"If her son's anything to go by, she must be a lovely lady." Jemma's father added, making Leo smile.

"Right then, a toast. To amazing grades and a brighter future." Jemma's mother said as everyone gently tapped their glasses together in celebration. Jemma playfully nudged Leo and the two shared a loving grin.

After the food was eaten and the sun began to set, Leo stood in the garden watching on confusedly as Jemma dag a small hole in the grass.

"How's Mack doing with his promotion?" Jemma asked as she continued digging.

"He's settled in pretty well now. He's loving the extra cash, that's for sure. Your mum and dad are aware you're doing this, right?" Leo asked.

"Of course they are. That should do it." Jemma said, looking satisfied at the newly dug hole in the garden. She reached into the back pocket of her jeans and pulled out a few pieces of paper covered in her handwriting.

"So what is this all about?" Leo asked.

"You did bring it, didn't you?" Jemma asked in return. Leo nodded, taking a few pieces of paper out of his jacket pocket with his handwriting on it.

"I can't believe Mack told you I wrote this. It was years ago." Leo said, unfolding the paper to reveal an old essay he'd written one stressful evening – 'Why I Hate Jemma Simmons'.

"I'm glad you did, because now we can do this. Turns out we really were always a bit too alike." Jemma smiled, handing Leo the papers she held.

"'Why I Hate Leopold Fitz', by Jemma Simmons. Why did we fall in love again?" Leo smiled.

"Because some things are inevitable." Jemma grinned, kissing Leo as she took her essay back from him and threw it into the hole. With a smile, Leo did the same with his.

"May I do the honours?" Leo asked.

"Of course, my love." Jemma said, handing Leo the shovel and watching satisfyingly as he began filling the hole back in.

"This does actually feel pretty nice. Like we're properly letting go of the past." Leo said as he finished up.

"I know. I don't know why I kept it all these years, really, especially after we got together." Jemma stated.

"Because you knew you couldn't let me go." Leo grinned cheekily as he planted a kiss on Jemma's cheek and wrapped his arms around her.

"New start." Jemma smiled as she watched the sunset.

"Maybe you can write an essay on the reasons you love me." Leo chuckled.

"Hmm, that'd be a short essay." Jemma teased.

"Shut up, you."

"I'd rather just show you why when mum and dad go to bed." Jemma smiled suggestively.

"That's perfectly acceptable to." Leo nodded, making Jemma laugh.

"So, another year of college ahead of us. You're gonna be stuck with me for a while yet." Jemma said.

"I'm sure I'll cope." Leo smiled, kissing the top of Jemma's head as he lay down on the grass to watch a beautiful day come to an end. Jemma quickly joined him, resting her head on his chest and feeling more at peace than she ever had before.

"I do love you, Leo." Jemma smiled softly.

"I love you too, Jem."

As the daylight faded all was well, and Jemma Simmons fell asleep to the rhythm of Leo Fitz's heart.


	25. Chapter 25

**EIGHT YEARS LATER…**

Leo walked nervously into a large, bright and beautifully decorated room.

"Jem?"

"What are you doing in here?!" Jemma cried; Leo turned around in the direction of the voice and saw a figure dash behind a foldable room divider.

"Sorry, I think I left my tie in here."

"Oh, Leo! Hang on, it's over here." Jemma said. After a moment, her arm shot out from behind the divider, a navy blue tie in hand. Leo walked up to her and took the tie, causing the arm to shoot back behind the divider.

"Now get out."

"Jemma, you're being snappy. You're always snappy when you're nervous." Leo smiled.

"That's because I am nervous! You should be too! And you shouldn't be in here!" Jemma exclaimed.

"I _am_ nervous, but I'm excited too. Aren't you?" Leo asked.

"Of course I am. I just…you know how I feel about these things."

"I do."

"We're getting married in ten minutes and if you even get a glimpse of my dress now I swear to God above -"

"-Okay, okay, I'm going, you mad woman." Fitz chuckled as he put on his tie.

"Does Lincoln have the rings? Does Bobbi look like she's about to go into labour? Have all the guests arrived?" Jemma asked.

"Yes, he's got them. Everything's sorted. Bobbi looks very calm and restful; Lance has assured me he won't spoil our day by becoming a father." Fitz smiled.

"…Okay. And the guests?"

"All here and accounted for. Skye's being the ultimate maid of honour and Mack's being the ultimate best man keeping them all in check." Leo revealed.

"So mum and dad made it okay?"

"Yes, Jem."

"Thank God." Jemma sighed with relief.

Silence for a moment.

"…I wish mum could've been here." Leo eventually said tearfully. Jemma's hand reached round the divider and found his.

"She is here, Leo. She's up there smiling; I know she is. You made the last years of her life so happy, and now it's your turn to have a life of happiness." Jemma said softly.

"Why am I marrying you then?" Leo asked cheekily. Jemma's hand pulled away from his and hit him.

"You suck, Leopold Fitz." Jemma chuckled.

"You know I don't mean it." Leo laughed.

"I know."

"…I can't wait to see what you look like." Leo smiled.

"Neither can I. I bet you look very handsome in that suit." Jemma grinned.

"I do, actually." Leo said and Jemma laughed.

"…I love you so much." She said.

"I love you too." He replied.

"I can't wait to marry you."

"Lucky it's our wedding day then."

"I remember the days when those witty comebacks of yours drove me up the wall." Jemma reminisced.

"You're saying that like they still don't." Leo grinned.

"Good point." Jemma chuckled.

"…It's been great, hasn't it? Me and you?"

"…Leo Fitz, it's been incredible. And it's about to get even better."

Leo grinned widely, squeezing Jemma's hand before letting it return behind the divider. Fixing his tie, he walked towards the door happily.

"…Leo?" Jemma called, stopping Leo in his tracks.

"Yeah?"

"I hate you."

Leo smiled.

"Hate you too."

…

Jemma fought back the tears as best she could in order to speak coherently.

"I can go on forever about the many different ways and the many different reasons I have for loving you, Leo Fitz, and even then I doubt I'd do what we have any justice. When I was a little girl, all of my friends were obsessed with princesses and flowers and finding a Prince Charming, but that was never me. From the very beginning I was reading and writing and getting excited about science documentaries. I became so fixated on the scientific that I wrote off everything my friends dreamt of; the prince and the perfect wedding and the handsome prince. What I love about us is that in the end, science is what led me to meet my prince in the first place. Our love of science brought us together in school and then in college and then even in work. You were always my perfect partner in every single way, it just took both of us a little while to get passed how much we drove each other insane. You still do drive me insane, but it the best way. I've discovered so many things in my life thanks to science, but even then my greatest discovery had nothing to do with all that. My greatest discovery was that I loved you, and always will."

"…and now Leo, your vows."

Leo had been desperately trying to breathe since the second he saw Jemma walk down the aisle, but now he had the best job in the world to do – tell a room full of his loved ones how much he loved Jemma Simmons. It was the easiest thing he ever had to do.

"Jemma Simmons, while I can still call you that…before I got to know you I had a plan; a layout of who I was gonna be and what my life would entail. I was gonna be cold and alone and hide away all of my pain. Then you quite literally burst into my life when you barged through my front door and walked into my mess of a living room. I try to ignore the stuff that came before that because we both know it was unpleasant, and that was the day I truly saw who you really were. Kind. Loving. Gentle. Intelligent. You were Jemma, and you were perfect. You've never stopped being perfect. I had this plan and you changed everything. You took the coldness inside of me and warmed me up from the inside, you put up with my company so I could never be alone and you took all of the ache inside my heart and fashioned it into something so special like it was the simplest thing in the world. I was in the darkness but you brought me into the light. You showed me that there was still a chance for me, that I deserved the kindness you gave to me. Whatever has happened or will, the way you make me feel is the best part of my life. You are my always, Jemma Simmons. Forever. I can promise you two things; I will never stop trying to make you the happiest you can be, and I will never, ever get tired of calling you my wife. I've called you many things over the years, but I already know of all the nicknames I've given you, that one will be my favourite. You've had your fair share of nicknames for me too, but there's only one you'll ever have to call me again – Yours. Proudly so."

…

Jemma and Leo sat in the back of a taxi, hand in hand, as they made their way to the airport to go on their honeymoon. Jemma had spent most of the journey staring fondly out of the window.

"You okay?" Leo asked, kissing her hand.

"No; I've just realised I've actually gone and married you." Jemma teased.

"Funny." Leo chuckled.

"…I was just thinking." Jemma said.

"About what?" Leo asked.

"Everything that led us here. School, college, classes, your mum…all of that amazing stuff. That first year of college was the turning point. 525,600 minutes that changed everything." Jemma smiled as she recalled.

"That was a pretty great year, all in all." Leo smiled.

"And it's only gotten better with each one that's gone by." Jemma grinned as she kissed Leo passionately.

"That was the first of many good years for us." Leo said.

"I remember so much about it so clearly. What an adventure." Jemma said, resting her head on Leo's shoulder.

"Ready for the next one?" Leo asked, kissing the top of Jemma's head. Jemma grinned.

"Always."

They both stared out into the road ahead of them, recalling the year that changed everything and thinking about all the wonderful years to come. Those thoughts filled them with a joy unlike anything else ever could.

 _"Measure your life, measure your life in love."_


End file.
